Hydroinformatics Institute (H2i)

What Hydroinformatics Institute (H2i) does

Hydroinformatics Institute (H2i) is a Singapore-headquartered water-as-a-service company founded in 2014 by Professor Vladan Babovic that applies AI, machine learning, big data analytics, and advanced hydrodynamic modelling to real-world water management problems. H2i builds digital systems for urban flood resilience, rainfall monitoring and nowcasting, coastal water quality, and climate adaptation, serving primarily national and municipal water agencies alongside selected enterprise and international development clients. Core products include an X-band weather radar rainfall monitoring and nowcasting system, a CCTV-based rainfall detection platform using a proprietary VGG19 convolutional neural network, a mobile base station opportunistic rainfall sensing system developed with StarHub, a Virtual Water simulation toolbox projected to be 10,000 times faster than traditional flood simulation software, a Coastal-Inland Flood Model developed with NUS and PUB, the NEPTUNE coastal water quality operational management system, an oil spill modelling service, and an AI-based sea surface current quantification system funded by MPA. Underlying technology combines proprietary parallel subgrid flood modelling, multimodal sensor fusion (radar, CCTV, mobile signals, rain gauges, satellite), and 3D hydrodynamic models into integrated operational decision-support systems.

H2i monetizes through a mix of digital water software solutions, professional consultancy engagements, government-funded R&D contracts, and ongoing system maintenance and support services, distributed via direct government tenders, partnerships with engineering consultancies (notably Royal HaskoningDHV through 2024), and channel partners. The customer base is dominated by Singapore government agencies (PUB, NEA, MPA, JTC, TMSI) and extends internationally to Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, Oman, Malaysia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and China, with a wholly-owned European subsidiary H2i Balkans D.o.o. established in 2018. The company operates with a small, specialist team and is wholly owned by Pluvia.ai as of March 1, 2024 following Royal HaskoningDHV's divestiture of its minority stake, with H2i now focused on digital products and Pluvia.ai concentrating on climate-tech offerings.

Name

Hydroinformatics Institute (H2i)

Legal name

Hydroinformatics Institute

Website

https://h2i.sg

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Management Software & Hydroinformatics

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Auto Controls For Regulating Residential & Comml Environments (3822)

akta.pro primary industry

Real-Time Monitoring & Smart Stormwater (Sensors, SCADA/IoT, RTC) (EUANAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF), Online Monitoring, Sensors & Instrumentation (SCADA-integrated analyzers, probes, samplers) (EUANAJAC), Water & Wastewater Utility IoT (SCADA, Leak/Quality Monitoring) (EUADAPAK)

Keywords

• Urban flood resilience
• Rainfall nowcasting software
• Hydroinformatics solutions
• Water quality monitoring
• AI flood modelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Water Software Solutions: H2i develops and delivers water-related digital software solutions including climate resilience, urban flood resilience, radar rainfall monitoring, and water quality management systems to government agencies and private sector clients
2. Consultancy Services: Professional consulting engagements for water management projects including hydrology studies, flood modelling, coastal protection assessments, and water quality modelling
3. Research and Development Contracts: NRF-funded and government-funded R&D projects including Virtual Water for Virtual Singapore, Living Lab (Water) Scheme projects, and coastal monitoring programmes
4. System Maintenance and Support Services: Ongoing maintenance, technical support, and system expansion services for deployed operational management systems

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

H2i develops and delivers digital water-management software solutions that combine AI, machine learning, advanced computer modelling and real-time sensing for urban flood resilience, climate change adaptation and coastal water-quality management. Its core offerings include X-band radar rainfall monitoring and nowcasting systems, CCTV-based rainfall measurement, mobile base station rainfall sensing, the Virtual Water simulation toolbox, the Coastal-Inland Flood Model, and the NEPTUNE coastal water-quality operational management system. The company also provides professional consultancy and ongoing system maintenance and support to government water agencies and large enterprises.

Product overview

Hydroinformatics Institute (H2i) offers a portfolio of digital water management products centered on urban flood resilience and climate adaptation. The core offerings include: (1) X-band Radar Rainfall Monitoring and Nowcasting System for real-time rainfall detection and 2-90 minute forecasts; (2) CCTV-based Rainfall Monitoring using computer vision to derive ground-level rainfall from street cameras; (3) Mobile Base Station Rainfall Sensing that leverages telecommunications infrastructure as opportunistic sensors; (4) Virtual Water simulation toolbox running 10,000x faster than traditional software; (5) Coastal-Inland Flood Model combining inland flow and coastal protection modeling; and (6) NEPTUNE Operational Management System for coastal water quality monitoring. These products work synergistically—combining radar, CCTV, mobile signals, and traditional rain gauges to provide comprehensive spatial and temporal water data. H2i also provides specialized services including oil spill modeling, hydrometric information management, water quality monitoring, and sea surface current quantification. The company operates on a project-based consultancy model delivering both software systems and ongoing operational support to government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• X-band Radar Rainfall Monitoring and Nowcasting System High-resolution rainfall detection and forecast system using compact X-band weather radars, providing near-real-time rainfall data and 2–90 minute nowcast predictions for flash flood management. Deployed for PUB Singapore and applied internationally for water agencies.
• CCTV-based Rainfall Monitoring Real-time rainfall detection and measurement using Deep Learning models that analyse CCTV footage to derive ground-level rainfall data at high spatial resolution. For water agencies and city operators needing dense, hyperlocal rainfall observations.
• Mobile Base Station Rainfall Sensing Uses mobile base station microwave links as opportunistic rainfall sensors, correlating variations in mobile signal strength with rain gauge, radar and satellite data to provide cost-effective, spatially dense rainfall monitoring. For water agencies and telco-data partners.
• Virtual Water High-resolution surface water simulation toolbox running atop Virtual Singapore that predicts and simulates floods from heavy rainfall in real-time, claimed to be 10,000x faster than traditional simulation software. For urban planners, infrastructure operators and government agencies needing rapid flood inundation modelling.
• Coastal-Inland Flood Model Comprehensive flood risk assessment model developed with PUB Singapore and NUS that evaluates both inland and coastal flood risks using a parallel subgrid system to simulate climate and water-behaviour scenarios for Singapore's urban terrain. For national water agencies and coastal-city planners.
• NEPTUNE Operational Management System Coastal water quality monitoring and prediction system for Singapore's National Environment Agency, integrating hydrodynamics and water-quality modelling with eight monitoring buoys providing real-time pollutant tracking and spread prediction. For environmental agencies and port authorities.
• Oil Spill Modeling Web-based oil spill forecasting model that anticipates oil behaviour including spreading, dispersion, advection, evaporation and beaching, using downscaled wind fields and hydrodynamic current models. For port authorities, maritime agencies and oil spill response operators.
• Hydrometric Information Management System Real-time monitoring system for water levels, reservoir volumes and rainfall, enabling timely flood warning and evacuation for hazard zones. Implemented for the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Oman. For government water-resource ministries and flood-warning authorities.
• Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling Comprehensive water quality assessment covering monitoring, sampling, modelling and operational management for coastal waters, reservoirs and treatment facilities, including dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll and temperature parameters. For government agencies, utilities and industrial sites.
• AI Sea Surface Current Quantification System Real-time sea surface current quantification and dissemination system using AI and machine learning to derive currents from AIS messages, supported by MPA's Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund. For port authorities, maritime agencies and offshore operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Virtual Water projected to be 10,000 times faster than traditional simulation software
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• StarHubcoreTechnology or Integration · 19 January 2022H2i and StarHub partnership uses mobile base station microwave links as opportunistic rainfall sensors. StarHub provides signal attenuation data from its network of thousands of mobile base stations, which H2i processes using machine learning to map rainfall intensity across Singapore. Winner of PUB Global Innovative Challenge.
• National University of Singapore (NUS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2021Joint tender award with PUB for Coastal-Inland Flood Model development. H2i leads inland flood modelling using parallel subgrid system; NUS (led by Prof. Philip Liu and Prof. Guus Stelling) focuses on coastal model development. Four-year project to evaluate both inland and coastal flood risks.
• DeltaresmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 6 May 2020Collaboration on Punggol-Serangoon Reservoir emission model development, Marina Reservoir Modelling System updates, and Sea Water Quality Monitoring System (SQMS) development for PUB. H2i works with Deltares as sub-contractor for development and maintenance.
• AQUA PROCON (Brno)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2020Partnership for computer vision and machine learning project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jointly winning UNDP Challenge Fund support for quantifying real-time rainfall intensity using CCTV cameras and machine learning.
• Royal HaskoningDHVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2019Strategic partnership allows both companies to better apply digital solutions to water challenges. H2i brings climate change and urban flood resilience solutions; RHDHV brings funding, scale, and global reach. Companies jointly bid for large-scale projects in Philippines, Vietnam, and other markets. RHDHV maintains minority stake in Pluvia.ai.
• EZ Hydroinformatics (Prague)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2019Partnership between H2i Balkans and EZ Hydroinformatics for UNDP Challenge Fund pilot on early flash flood warning system in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ričina basin.
• Furuno SingaporemajorTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2016Partnership for X-band weather radar supply and development. Furuno provides compact, cost-effective X-band radars for H2i's rainfall monitoring systems deployed with PUB Singapore. Three radars installed in 2018, with three more added in follow-up project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deltares: Dutch research institute specializing in water, subsurface and infrastructure modelling; current implementation partner of H2i on PUB projects. Competes directly in hydrodynamic/water quality modelling and hydrologic forecasting for government clients.
• DHI (Danish Hydraulic Institute): Global consulting and software firm in water environments—MIKE by DHI is a leading surface water modelling suite. CTO Maarten Keijzer worked at DHI, and it overlaps squarely with H2i's flood modelling, coastal engineering, and water quality offerings.
• KISTERS AG: Specialist in hydrology, water resources and environmental data management software (KiWIS, RainView, FFG). Closely comparable to H2i's Hydrometric Information Management System and rainfall monitoring offerings for utilities and agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Bentley Systems: Infrastructure engineering software provider whose OpenFlows / WaterGEMS products serve water resources and flood modelling. Competes with H2i on digital-twin driven hydraulic analysis within a much broader AEC software portfolio.
• Autodesk (InfoWater / Innovyze): After acquiring Innovyze, Autodesk offers InfoWater, InfoSWMM, and related hydraulic-network and urban-flood software. Targets the same municipal water-agency buyers as H2i but as part of a broader design-and-engineering cloud platform.
• Royal HaskoningDHV: Former minority owner and strategic partner of H2i with deep water management consulting practice. Competes for large water-agency tenders and now operates an enhanced consultancy team post the 2024 stake sale, in adjacent areas like Manila FFWS.
• Xylem (Emerging Markets & Analytics): Global water technology company with smart metering, network monitoring, and analytics for utilities. Overlaps with H2i in real-time monitoring for water and flood management, though at significantly larger scale and broader product range.

Emerging players

• Aquaveo: Developer of WMS, SMS, and Surface-water Modeling System tools for hydrologic and hydraulic simulation. Competes in the surface-water and flood-modelling space but at smaller scale and primarily via licensed software tools.
• Tomorrow.io: Weather intelligence and nowcasting platform using radar, satellite, and AI for hyperlocal forecasts. Overlaps with H2i's rainfall nowcasting and weather-data fusion capabilities but targets broader enterprise/government use cases globally.

Others

• Plumb Lab / Pluvia.ai: Parent company of H2i since March 2024; climate-tech/weather AI spin-out focused on rainfall and weather analytics. Adjacent capability rather than direct competitor, but shares technical and strategic DNA with H2i.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hydroinformatics-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hydroinformatics Institute (H2i)