Rainwater: software package made at INSA is popular on the market

While water is a precious and indispensable resource, it is now a potential nuisance for cities. Urban buildings are often the cause of catastrophic floods, and techniques such as out-of-town sewerage and drainage have proven their limits. We now need to build urban areas that are more respectful of the water cycle. 

The Parapluie software, created by the laboratoire DEEP¹ at INSA Lyon, developed by the company Alison and supported by Greater Lyon Council, offers assistance in the choice of alternative solutions to the urban and environmental challenges of rainwater.

Local authorities and individuals faced with rainwater

In order to pinpoint the problems faced by local authorities when dealing with rainwater, it is important to understand how urban construction changes the natural water cycle. Infrastructure such as car parks and streets prevents water from running off naturally, causing flooding, drying out streams or increasing the temperature in cities. Engineers must also take into account the leaching of soil, which leads to fine particles loaded with pollutants in aquatic environments. 

Today’s sewerage systems, dating from the 19th century, can no longer handle all the rainwater: during storms, the sewers end up overflowing and spilling onto the roads. 

What are the main aims of cities? To protect water resources while encouraging infiltration or return to aquatic environments, to clean up runoff water before it is discharged and to restore water to its rightful place in the city.

To help local authorities in the choice and design of alternative rainwater management solutions, a free software package has been developed at the DEEP laboratory at INSA Lyon: ‘Parapluie’ - Pour un Aménagement RAisonné Permettant L’Utilisation Intelligente de l’Eau (for rational development enabling smart use of water) is aimed at professionals and individuals looking for a sustainable, cost-effective and efficient solution

Innovative software

‘Drops of water are like bandits - it’s when they’re in a gang that they’re dangerous’, jokes Bernard Chocat, a PhD-qualified engineer at INSA Lyon. Rainwater management is a key issue in view of the risks it poses. The ideal situation is to manage the water on the plot, i.e. where it falls. This presents several difficulties, especially for individuals who have neither the knowledge nor the financial resources to limit flood risks on their own plots. Difficulties are also faced by local authorities, where water management often takes the form of small operations for which it is difficult to enlist the support of a specialist engineering firm. This is why we have created the Parapluie software, which is free, original and, above all, accessible to non-specialists’.

A study has shown that 60% of flood reports did not come from overflowing rivers, but from saturated water systems that caused disasters such as those experienced by some large cities in the spring of 2018. 

‘There is a real awareness on the part of ministries and local authorities of the importance of water resources and a very clear desire to improve management of them to reduce the impact and risk of flooding. For example, in Lyon, rainwater does not go into the existing system. The relationship between Greater Lyon Council and INSA Lyon, who work closely together on rainwater treatment, is behind the creation of the concept². Parapluie is now operational in Lyon and several local authorities such as Greater Grenoble and Roanne have already taken out a subscription. The use of the Parapluie software is doubly profitable for them since it is free and allows them to save money through rainwater management. Some property developers even make rainwater management a selling point!’ 

The software is therefore designed to be accessible, even to individuals, to provide fully comprehensive assistance with an educational component.

‘Tools for individuals have never existed. There are software packages used by engineering firms, but this is where Parapluie is a real innovation. Everyone can find a solution tailored to their plot, whether it is an industrial building, a detached house or a garden. The tool provides completely personalised selection assistance, and it’s as easy as modelling your new Ikea kitchen! ’, concludes Bernard Chocat.

Bernard Chocat 

PhD-qualified engineer and Professor Emeritus Bernard Chocat now focuses on the commercialisation of academic scientific research and the deployment of tools for laymen.

‘At the end of my career, I was Director of the Civil Engineering Research Unit (URGC) at INSA Lyon and then of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Laboratory (LGCIE). I chaired various National Research Agency (ANR) committees and I had a lot of administrative tasks. I have now given up my research work and public relations activities to focus on basic production: writing books, making radio programmes, giving lectures, making films, etc. It is sometimes frustrating as lecturers and researchers not to have the time to pass on our knowledge and promote our work to non-specialists, and that is why I have decided to contribute to the promotion and sharing of knowledge with everyone. The DEEP laboratory at INSA Lyon is world-renowned for integrated and sustainable water management: the Novatech conference is a leader in this area’.

With his desire to raise awareness and the aim of creating work with a social purpose, Bernard Chocat is also behind ‘Méli-Mélo, démêlons les fils de l’eau’, a humorous web series that helps people understand the issues related to rainwater management.
‘Another project that is particularly close to my heart is an electronic version of the Encyclopédie de l’hydrologie urbaine et de l’assainissement (Encyclopaedia of Urban Hydrology and Sanitation), which I published in 1996 and which, at the time, was not accessible to students. I am working on an electronic version, entirely free, but just as my soul as a researcher drives me, so does the search for funding! ’, says the Professor Emeritus.

For more information:

Parapluie is available on the website: www.parapluie-hydro.com.

Subscribing to the Parapluie service allows for simplified and personalised use of the software (local regulations, building permit applications, etc.). A directory of suppliers, products and services in the field of rainwater management solutions is also coming soon.

¹ DEEP: Waste, Water, Environment, Pollution

² An initial software package for professionals had been ordered by Greater Lyon Council from INSAVALOR