http://www.euronews.com/ Dams that protect urban areas from flooding sometimes fail, resulting in catastrophic damage. But what can be done to prevent such disasters?

Robert Meijer, a Professor of Applied Sensor Networks, at the University of Amsterdam, who is coordinating the Urbanflood project said: “There are 48 sensors constantly telling us how this dam is feeling and how it’s behaving. This technology makes this the smartest dam in the world.”

The underground sensors, developed within a European Union research project, transmit measurements to data centres in several countries.

Boston, on the east coast of England, is one of the main test sites for the new technology. Its river rises dramatically with the sea tides, putting local citizens at risk.

Mark Robinson a Senior Coastal Advisor, at the UK Environment Agency said: “Boston has some good sea defences, but they’re not high enough. So when the surge comes through it means the walls can get over-topped, and potentially could fail. So it’s at significant risk.”

Engineers involved in the study have designed several types of sensors, reliable and affordable enough to be put in damp soil embankments.

Robert Meijer explained: “A sensor is a measuring device that has electronic components inside a stainless steel container. It has a tiny opening through which water can enter. This device measures the amount of water in the dam and many other parameters such as the underground temperature, and the movement of the sensors inside the dam.”

These indications can be followed in real time using any internet-enabled device. A touch screen panel installed in a Boston café allows the public to see how the system works.

If the artificial intelligence anticipates a breach, it sends a warning to the responsible services that may otherwise be unaware of the weakening within the flood defences.

Mark Robinson said: “Currently we use a visual walkover. It means probably two or three times a year we got people viewing the asset [the dam] from a visual point of view. This technology allows us to actually understand how the bank is performing, so it looks at how it’s moving under pressure, whether we’ve got leakages through the defence, and also we can see if there’s an incident in real time what’s happening.”

The software calculates how fast the site will be flooded if the dam fails, and even suggests the best ways to move citizens into safer areas.

Alexandra Topple, a Senior Flood Management Engineer, at HR Wallingford, said: “This system will allow to show you the outline of the flood mapping; we can then run a life safety model which will show the evacuation process that people can take – this can be used by emergency planners, for them to be able to test various scenarios of evacuation to find the best evacuation procedure in the event of the failure.”

If proved reliable, this system could be deployed in many urban areas in Europe and across the world to protect vulnerable cities from the imminent effects of climate change.

“http://www.urbanflood.eu“:http://www.urbanflood.eu

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A community of artists in Vitebsk, Belarus, is creating unusual pieces using glowing paints….

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http://www.euronews.com/2013/11/28/art-in-the-dark-the-secret-behind-glowing-installations
A community of artists in Vitebsk, Belarus, is creating unusual pieces using glowing paints.
The installations provide the viewer with a dual experience, as the artwork changes once it’s plunged into darkness.

Working in total darkness is the only way artists Alexander Vyshka and Denis Pravda can create their paintings.

They use special luminous paints, which make their works come alive in the dark. Vyshka explained the reason behind their unusual choice of style:

“We look at a painting and see it in one way, get used to it and start travelling in a direction which is guided by one light. Then the light changes and suddenly we step into an absolutely different world within the same painting.”

The paint will appear differently, depending on the colour of the lights used – for example, white or ultraviolet. It seems as though the artworks spring into life once they are denied light.

Artists put their works on display in a small gallery and invite visitors to ‘ walk towards the light’. Their aim, they say, is to enlighten people so they can find new meanings in paintings and will discover something new within themselves.

One gallery visitor seemed to agree:

“In the beginning I felt sheer amazement and then the pure delight of self-discovery. So, at first we went into the room, which seemed to represent the fuss of the external world, the external things that we see. And then the light was switched off and everything lit up with new colours.”

Vitebsk was the centre of the Russian avant garde art movement in the 1920s. Its art traditions and spirit of innovative ideas are still alive today. Artist Denis Pravda is an expert in the luminous painting technique and is able to make each piece of work look unique.

He mixes traditional paints with luminescent ones to get the depth and effects he wants, then “charges” them with light.

“Some layers subside, while others appear, so the painting changes by itself,” explained Pravda. “When we direct an ultraviolet light at this painting, we see this bright painting. When we direct a bright white light on it, some colours, which we don’t see with ultraviolet light, appear.”

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http://www.euronews.com/ Pope Francis has rounded off his first day as pontiff with a warning for Catholics not to forget the church’s primary mission.

His message came in a homily at a mass for Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, where 24 hours before they had elected the first ever South American pope.

The mass was in Latin, but for his homily, the Argentinian pope spoke in Italian without notes.

He urged Catholics to continue proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ, otherwise Catholicism risked being reduced to what he called “a compassionate NGO.”
Francis said the Church should shun worldliness and focus more on the
Gospels.

He had begun his first day in the job praying at the Santa Maria Maggiori, but it was not long before people were clamouring to be among the first to congratulate him.

A man known for his frugal lifestyle, he asked his driver to go to a residence for priests where he could pick up his bags and pay his bill.

One priest remarked that the pope need not worry about paying the bill, because the residence belonged to the church, and now the church belongs to Francis.

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Work has begun on a new base in Romania that will form part of a controversial US ballistic missile…

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http://www.euronews.com/2013/10/28/romania-starts-work-on-us-missile-shield-base
Work has begun on a new base in Romania that will form part of a controversial US ballistic missile shield.

The Deveselu base is scheduled to become operational in 2015.

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Sanya’s tropical climate and beautiful beaches are a magnet for the growing number of tourists coming here year after year, as well as its fascinating mix of modern and traditional cultures.…
READ MORE : https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/29/definitely-worth-the-12-hour-flight-why-visitors-don-t-regret-visiting-sanya-on-hainan-is

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