Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee

What Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee does

Rijkswaterstaat is the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, operating under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat). Established in 1848, it is the sole national authority responsible for designing, constructing, managing, and maintaining the Netherlands' principal infrastructure portfolio: national highways (snelwegen), navigable waterways, bridges, locks, sluices, storm surge barriers, and tunnels. The "Noordzee" designation refers to the agency's North Sea division, which focuses on water data services for Dutch coastal and marine waters. The agency is headquartered in The Hague, is funded entirely through national budget appropriations, and is not a commercial entity.

The agency's technical foundation combines physical monitoring infrastructure with public-facing digital platforms. On the water side, it operates tide gauges, wave measurement systems, river discharge monitors, water temperature sensors, and wind measurement stations, with data exposed through the Waterinfo portal (waterinfo.rws.nl) showing water height relative to NAP, wind conditions, temperature, and wave heights. On the road side, it runs the RWS Verkeersinfo platform providing 24/7 real-time traffic information for national highways and selected N-roads. Additional offerings include the Actueel Waterbericht current water status reporting service and an Open Data platform for public access to infrastructure, water, and traffic datasets. Partnerships include a core integration with KNMI for real-time weather warnings.

Rijkswaterstaat serves multiple distinct stakeholder groups: Dutch road users (citizens and freight operators) using the highway network; the maritime and shipping sector requiring water level, tidal, and navigation data; regional water authorities (waterschappen) coordinating on freshwater distribution and drought response; and construction and engineering firms bidding on public procurement contracts for major maintenance and renovation work. The agency engages the public through its main website, dedicated traffic and water data portals, social media channels (X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky), podcast series, and an E-zine for business and innovation audiences. Pricing for data and information services is effectively zero to the public, while major construction work is procured through formal government tendering processes.

Name

Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee

Legal name

Rijkswaterstaat

Website

https://rws.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee is the North Sea division of the Dutch national agency managing all national roads, waterways, storm surge barriers, and locks, providing real-time water data, traffic information, and infrastructure maintenance across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Infrastructure Management

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG), Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC), Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Water infrastructure management
• Traffic information services
• Flood protection systems
• National road network management
• Open water data

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Budget: Rijkswaterstaat is funded through the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat). Operations are financed through national tax revenue and government allocations for infrastructure management, water safety, and road maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee is a division of the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management that delivers water data services and contributes to national infrastructure management. It provides real-time measurements of water height, wind, water temperature, and waves via the Waterinfo portal, 24/7 traffic information through RWS Verkeersinfo, and supports flood protection, drought mitigation, and navigation safety across Dutch waters and national highways.

Product overview

Rijkswaterstaat operates as a Dutch government agency managing water infrastructure and roads. Its digital product portfolio centers on water data services (Waterinfo portal providing real-time measurements for water height, wind, temperature, and waves) and traffic information services (RWS Verkeersinfo for 24/7 road updates). Additional offerings include the Actueel Waterbericht current water status reporting service and an Open Data platform for public access to infrastructure and environmental data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waterinfo: Online water data portal providing real-time information on water levels, wind, wave height, and water temperature

Products and services

• Waterinfo Real-time water data portal providing measurements for water height (relative to NAP), wind conditions, water temperature, and wave height across Dutch waters, intended for citizens, shipping operators, and water management professionals.
• RWS Verkeersinfo 24/7 traffic information service providing real-time traffic updates, road conditions, and planned roadworks for Dutch national highways (snelwegen) and selected N-roads, serving road users and freight operators.
• Actueel Waterbericht Current water status reporting service covering IJsselmeergebied, rivers (Rijn-Maas), and coastal/Rijnmond areas, providing alerts for unusual water conditions and drought status updates.
• Open Data Public open data platform providing external access to infrastructure, water management, and traffic data sets for developers, researchers, and businesses.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute)coreTechnology or IntegrationKNMI provides weather warnings and meteorological data that is displayed on the Rijkswaterstaat website, integrated into the traffic and water management systems. This partnership enables real-time weather warnings for road users and water management operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Highways (UK): Government-owned company operating, maintaining, and improving England's motorways and major A-roads. Comparable to Rijkswaterstaat's role as operator and maintainer of the Dutch national highway network (snelwegen), including real-time traffic information services.
• Environment Agency (UK): UK government agency responsible for flood risk management, water quality monitoring, and environmental regulation. Directly comparable national mandate for flood defence infrastructure and water monitoring, similar to Rijkswaterstaat's water and storm-surge management role.
• Trafikverket (Swedish Transport Administration): Swedish national agency responsible for long-term planning of the transport system, including state roads, railways, and shipping. Comparable in its combination of national road infrastructure management and waterway/navigation oversight under one government body.
• Generaldirektion Wasserstraßen und Schifffahrt (GDWS, Germany): German federal authority within the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration responsible for managing federal inland waterways. Comparable mandate in managing navigable rivers, canals, locks, and waterway infrastructure in a neighbouring jurisdiction.
• Vejdirektoratet (Danish Road Directorate): Danish national agency responsible for the state road network, including planning, construction, operation, and maintenance. Comparable to Rijkswaterstaat's national highway management function, especially relevant given cross-border North Sea context.
• De Vlaamse Waterweg: Flemish autonomous agency managing navigable waterways, locks, and water-related infrastructure in Belgium. Closest regional peer to Rijkswaterstaat's waterway management, lock, and sluice operations.
• US Army Corps of Engineers: US federal agency operating and maintaining navigation channels, flood risk management infrastructure (levees, dams), and water-resource projects. Closest international analogue in scope: integrated water infrastructure and navigation operations under a single federal authority.

Emerging players

• KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute): Dutch national weather and climate data provider and a formal integration partner of Rijkswaterstaat. While not a peer in infrastructure ownership, it is a critical adjacent node in the same Dutch water-and-weather information ecosystem.

Others

• DHI Group: Private water-environment consulting and modelling firm specializing in hydrodynamics, water quality, and flood modelling. Comparable in the technical/methodological stack underpinning Rijkswaterstaat's water quality and watershed monitoring activities, though as a commercial supplier rather than a public operator.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): US federal agency responsible for weather, ocean, and atmospheric monitoring, including tide gauges and coastal water data. Comparable in operating national-scale water and weather monitoring networks, though broader in scientific scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Rijkswaterstaat
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Rijkswaterstaat
• Facebookfacebook.com/Rijkswaterstaat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rijkswaterstaat-noordzee
• Instagraminstagram.com/rijkswaterstaat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee