Projects
Experiences and applications
A selection of completed and ongoing projects: it shows how we tackle different problems, from the hydraulic risk of works and plants to basin planning, from nature-based solutions to applied research.
Selected projects
Open the page to read the challenge, the work done and what changes for decision-makers.
Rome · 2025 –
Ponte dei Congressi over the Tiber: hydraulic safety of a new structure
For the new bridge between the Rome–Fiumicino motorway and EUR, IDRAN handles the hydraulic design: Tiber models, drainage of the new roads, monitoring and documents for the EIA.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
The piers in the riverbed must withstand floods during construction and once the works are complete. Runoff from the new roads must reach compatible receiving bodies, in compliance with the EIA requirements.
What we did
- Hydraulic monitoring plans before, during and after the works, and the survey plan, for the technical bid of the awarded contractor.
- 2D models of the Tiber under unsteady flow and with a mobile bed: velocities, water levels, scour around the piers and foundation safety in every phase.
- Detailed design of the platform drainage: collection networks, receiving bodies and any attenuation (flood routing) works.
- Documents for the verification of compliance with the regional EIA and support for the irrigation of the River Park with low-water-demand native species.
What changes
Data from the new measurement system feeds the Tiber models: the design is verified against the real behaviour of the river, before, during and after the works.
- Contracting authority
- ANAS S.p.A., for the 2025 Jubilee programme
- IDRAN’s role
- Hydrology and hydraulics consultant to SINA for the detailed design; hydraulic monitoring for Consorzio Stabile Eteria. The detailed design is by the joint venture of VIA Ingegneria, SINA and M Ingegneria.
- Deliverables
- Hydraulic report, 1D-2D Tiber models, drainage calculations, compliance documents, monitoring plans
Valmalenco (Sondrio) · 2026 –
Spriana landslide: hydraulic works to protect settlements
Modelling and detailed design of the works that return the Mallero stream to its course downstream, diverted through a tunnel to protect settlements from the landslide, through to support for the EIA screening procedure.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Protecting settlements means managing the water of the Mallero while the mountain moves. Each work must be designed together with its construction site and environmental restoration.
What we did
- Three-dimensional hydraulic model of the tunnel outlet and modelling of the stream in every construction phase.
- Plan of geognostic, topographic, hydraulic and environmental investigations.
- Detailed design of the stilling basin, the hydraulic works and the construction site set-up.
- Environmental restoration of the areas occupied, with natural-science and forestry contributions, and support for the EIA screening procedure and the landscape authorisation.
What changes
Hydraulics, geology, geotechnics, environment and forestry work on the same site model: every choice takes the others into account and the design is ready to be built.
- Client
- Webuild
- IDRAN’s role
- Designer of the hydraulic works and construction site set-up, with a team covering geology, geotechnics, environment and forestry
- Deliverables
- Detailed design of the second-phase works: reports, models, drawings, bill of quantities, specifications and construction schedule
Italy · 2026 –
RISING: from research to climate resilience services
A 30-month research and innovation project with universities and companies of the RETURN network: IDRAN brings into the innovation hub tools already proven in its own projects.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Companies and public administrations must address climate risks, but struggle to find skills and tools already proven in the field.
What we did
- Participation in the project kick-off and in the organisation of joint work among the partners.
- More than twenty services described for the innovation hub catalogue, each with a reference case.
- Services on offer include: digital twins and climate chamber (CLIMABOX), flood hotspots (FLOODNODES), 2D hydraulic modelling and hydraulic compatibility.
What changes
The hub is a single point of access: those who manage the territory find in a catalogue services that have already been tested, with a concrete case for each.
- Partners
- University of Naples Federico II, RETURN Foundation and other research bodies and companies
- IDRAN’s role
- Partner, with services for the innovation hub catalogue
Online, in English · 2026 –
Artificial intelligence for ocean science: an e-learning course
For an international organisation, the content of a course on artificial intelligence in the study and management of the ocean: six modules, about 25 hours, no programming required.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Researchers, technicians and officials work with ocean data, but often have no experience of AI. They need to understand when AI is really useful and how to judge its reliability.
What we did
- Structure of the six modules and learning outcomes, agreed with the client.
- Plain-language explanations, eight case studies and eight exercises with a no-programming alternative.
- At least 30 assessment questions, a glossary and an annotated list of open tools and data.
- Data quality and responsible use of AI covered in every module, not only the last.
What changes
Course participants learn to read an AI result critically: what data a tool is trained on, how it is validated, how it can go wrong and who is accountable for it.
- Client
- International organisation
- IDRAN’s role
- Content author: texts, figures, case studies, exercises and questions
- Target audience
- Researchers, technicians, data managers and public officials, with attention to developing countries
Rome · 2025
Metro Line C: stations protected from Tiber floods
2D model of the 200-year flood of the Tiber and protection measures for the Auditorium and Farnesina stations of Section T1. The study was accepted and approved.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Entrances, shafts and gratings of an underground station near the river can become routes for water ingress. Flood risk must be addressed within the design, not afterwards.
What we did
- Collection of data, studies and designs along the Tiber between Flaminio and Farnesina, with a GIS database of topography, geology, constraints and hydrography.
- Design discharge and hydrograph for a 200-year return period, from the framework of the Partial Plan for the metropolitan area (PS5).
- Two-dimensional HEC-RAS model under unsteady flow for the design configuration.
- Non-structural and, where necessary, structural measures to protect the stations.
What changes
Knowing water levels, depths and flow paths in advance makes it possible to design entrances, openings and systems safely and to prepare emergency procedures.
- Client
- Metro C S.c.p.A., general contractor for Line C
- IDRAN’s role
- Specialist consultant for the hydraulic works
- With Metro C since 2011
- Hydrological study of the Fosso dell’Osa for the Graniti depot (2011) and detailed design of its re-profiling, with hydraulic no objection (nulla osta) (2012)
Rome area, three pilot basins · 2025
FLOODNODES: which bridges and culverts are most exposed to floods
An open-source GIS tool, funded by the NRRP (PNRR), that identifies across entire basins the bridges and culverts most exposed to floods and ranks verification priorities.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
During floods, bridges and culverts are often the weak point: an insufficient opening, or one blocked by sediment and woody debris, sends water onto the road. Those who manage them need to know where to start.
What we did
- Basins and stream network derived from the digital terrain model, using national open data.
- Discharges for return periods from 2 to 500 years, with soil at average or saturated moisture.
- Effect of sediment and woody debris on discharges, estimated probabilistically.
- Freeboard of each crossing in three classes (over 1.5 m, between 0 and 1.5 m, overtopped), tested on an urban, a hilly and a mountain basin.
What changes
In the three basins, soil condition matters as much as return period: with saturated soil, critical situations already appear for frequent floods. It is a screening tool, to be followed up with detailed models.
- Programme
- NRRP (PNRR), RETURN Extended Partnership, Spoke «Water», cascade call of the Politecnico di Milano
- IDRAN’s role
- Sole beneficiary and project leader
- Deliverables
- Open-source Python code, six technical reports, final report
Tuscania (Viterbo) · 2025
Energy storage at Tuscania: hydraulic study for the permit
Hydrological-hydraulic study for the single authorisation (autorizzazione unica) of a 280 MW battery storage plant, in an agricultural area subject to constraints of the Hydrogeological Risk Plan (PAI).
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Batteries, inverters and transformers must stay dry. The new surfaces must not worsen the flow of water towards neighbouring land.
What we did
- Comparison of the plant areas and connection works with the PAI and flood hazard maps.
- Rainfall statistics and flood discharges using the Curve Number method and the HEC-HMS model.
- Two-dimensional HEC-RAS model: water depths and floodable areas on the site.
- Update of the study for the new connection works and for the additional information requested by the River Basin Authority.
What changes
A sound hydraulic study from the application stage reduces requests for additional information and places the equipment in the safest areas of the site.
- Client
- Plant developer
- IDRAN’s role
- Hydraulic consultant, author of the study for the hydraulic authorisation
- Deliverables
- Hydrological-hydraulic study, May 2025, with final revision of June 2025
Central Apennines District · 2022–2024
Natural measures and hydraulic invariance: tools for the River Basin Authority
For the Central Apennines District River Basin Authority, a catalogue of 41 natural measures to retain water and web applications that calculate the rainfall volume to be compensated when an area is made impermeable.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Officials, technicians and professionals must choose green solutions for water, such as rain gardens and permeable surfaces, and apply hydraulic invariance rules that vary from region to region.
What we did
- Catalogue of 41 natural water retention measures (NWRM) in five areas, with selection criteria and a four-phase planning process.
- Idrologia NWRM App: design rainfall and volume to be retained, with a printable report, published on the MANUALE NWRM portal.
- With Gter, comparison of the district’s hydraulic invariance regulations, a geographic database and an application for the minimum compensation volume.
- Demonstration case studies in the district, from Rome and Fiumicino to Ascoli Piceno.
What changes
A production site can manage rainfall on site with rain gardens, bioretention and infiltration trenches. Technicians and authorities obtain in a few minutes a compensation volume consistent with the applicable regulation.
- Client
- Central Apennines District River Basin Authority
- Delivered by
- NEGEN S.r.l.s. with the IDRAN team for the NWRM Manual; IDRAN with Gter S.r.l. for hydraulic invariance
- Funding
- FSC 2014-2020, Environment Operational Plan
- Deliverables
- NWRM Measures Manual, Idrologia NWRM App and web portal; summary of regulations, application and manual for hydraulic invariance
Case studies in Basilicata
CLIMABOX: climate chamber and digital twin for extreme events
Digital twin, climate chamber and IoT system to reproduce intense rainfall, heat and wind on physical models. NRRP (PNRR) project led by IDRAN with the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
Extreme events are increasingly frequent, but difficult to study in the field while they happen. Controlled conditions are needed to test scenarios and solutions.
What we did
- Climate digital twin with historical, current and forecast data.
- Climate chamber to simulate extreme phenomena on physical models of urban and natural systems.
- Two-way IoT link between the digital twin and the climate chamber.
- Application and validation on real cases in Basilicata.
What changes
Administrations and designers can compare scenarios and interventions with measured data, not just estimates, before implementing them.
- Programme
- NRRP (PNRR), Tech4You innovation ecosystem, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU
- Partners
- IDRAN (lead partner) and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
- Duration
- 12 months
Fiumicino (Rome) · 2020–2021
Fiumicino Interporto: from hydraulic constraint to no objection (nulla osta)
Hydraulic due diligence for an investor and study of the mitigation works for the no objection (nulla osta), in a logistics hub subject to constraints of the Hydrogeological Risk Plan (PAI).
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
A logistics hub occupies large impermeable surfaces in a coastal plain prone to flooding. Compatibility with the PAI and water management determine whether the asset can operate.
What we did
- Due diligence: current state, authorisation documents and estimate of costs, timescales and risks of the works.
- Survey of the authorisation issues linked to the Hydrogeological Risk Plan (PAI).
- Hydrological-hydraulic hazard study and design of the mitigation works for the no objection (nulla osta).
What changes
A hydraulic due diligence turns a constraint into an estimated cost and a pathway with defined timescales, useful for negotiating and planning the works.
- Clients
- An investor for the due diligence (2020) and the company owning the asset (2021)
- IDRAN’s role
- Hydrological-hydraulic and technical consultant
- Deliverables
- Due diligence report; hydrological-hydraulic study with the mitigation works
Marta River, Lazio Maremma
Marta River: models and maps for the Hydrogeological Risk Plan
Two-dimensional models of the Marta River and its network, from the reconstruction of the 2005 flood to the hazard and risk maps for the PAI and the Floods Directive.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
In coastal plains, risk affects homes, roads and fields alike. The PAI and the Floods Directive maps, which determine constraints and priorities, must reflect the real territory.
What we did
- Digital terrain models from LIDAR and satellite, integrated with the Regional Technical Map.
- Design hydrographs with the WFIUH geomorphological model and simulations with the two-dimensional FLO-2D code.
- Reconstruction of the 2005 flood on the Tarquinia plain, verified against the hydrograph measured at the Aurelia gauging station.
- Hazard, risk, water depth and velocity maps in GIS for the river, the minor network and the drainage ditches.
What changes
Municipalities, land reclamation consortia and citizens have maps consistent with the terrain, useful for building permits, civil protection and for deciding where to strengthen embankments and canals.
- Clients
- Regional River Basin Authority of Lazio, for the PAI, in a joint venture with CORIP S.r.l. and Hydrosystem S.r.l.; Lazio Region, Regional Environment Directorate, for the 2005 flood (2012)
- IDRAN’s role
- 2D hydrological and hydraulic modelling and GIS mapping
Rome, Ponte Galeria · 2014–2016
AMA Eco-district at Ponte Malnome: an essential facility safe from floods
2D simulation of the Rio Galeria floods for the hydraulic no objection (nulla osta) and the protection of the AMA eco-district for waste management.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
If a waste facility is flooded, an essential service stops and environmental risk increases. It must be protected without transferring the risk downstream.
What we did
- Existing studies, masterplan, supplementary surveys and inspections of crossings and culverts.
- Hydrological model of the Rio Galeria basin, of about 150 km², for return periods from 50 to 500 years.
- Two-dimensional hydraulic model of about 5 km of stream, before and after the works, with structures and obstacles inside and outside the channel.
- Preliminary design of the flood protection works and mapping of the PAI zones.
What changes
Knowing the flood paths makes it possible to protect the facility and to plan service continuity during extreme events.
- Client
- AMA S.p.A.
- IDRAN’s role
- Hydrological-hydraulic consultant
- Deliverables
- 2D hydrological-hydraulic study, May 2016; preliminary design of the flood protection works, June 2016
Rome · 2011–2014
PS5: the 2D model of the Tiber and Aniene for the Rome plan
Coordination and two-dimensional hydraulic model of the Tiber, Aniene and tributaries for the update of the Partial Plan for the metropolitan Tiber, adopted in 2014 and approved in 2019.
Lines of intervention
Project sheet
The challenge
In Rome every new structure near a watercourse is checked against the PS5 hazard zones. Reliable maps are needed for the whole metropolitan area.
What we did
- Coordination of the project to update the hydraulic setting of the Tiber–Aniene system in the urban area.
- 2D hydraulic model of the Tiber, Aniene and tributaries to define the floodable areas.
- Contribution to the delineation of the river zones and risk areas of the plan.
What changes
Those models are still the basis of hydraulic compatibility studies in Rome: IDRAN has used them, among others, for the Ponte Malnome eco-district and for Line C.
- Client
- Tiber River Basin Authority, today the Central Apennines District River Basin Authority
- IDRAN’s role
- Technical coordination and 2D hydraulic modelling
- Outcome
- Update project adopted on 22.12.2014; plan approved by Prime Ministerial Decree (DPCM) of 19.06.2019
These are a few examples of what we do. If your case is different, tell us about it: we will point you to the most relevant experience and expertise.
Project card
What you find in each project
Each page distinguishes the problem, the work carried out by IDRAN and the usefulness of the results. Names, metrics and images appear only where evidence is available and permission to publish has been given.
The challenge
The problem the assignment starts from, with place and period.
What we did
Data, models and activities carried out, in a few steps.
What changes
Which decision, authorisation or project the results serve.
Assignment and IDRAN’s role
Who commissioned the work, with which other parties and in what role.
Deliverables and links
The deliverables submitted and, where public, the pages to consult.
Lines of intervention
Links to the services involved, to explore the expertise in more depth.
First step
Do you have a similar problem to address?
Share the problem, context and stage of the work: we assess which data, studies and tools are needed.
Where do we start?
Request received
Thank you. We will get back to you to define the information needed and the skills to involve.