Bringing hydraulic models into the operational era with InfoWorks ICM and iCG

The session, titled From planning to operations: unlocking the potential of the digital twin with InfoWorks ICM and iCG, brought together two complementary perspectives: that of a global software provider and that of an engineering company specialising in operational platforms. The speakers were Luca Serena, Product Specialist Sales Executive at Autodesk Water, and Francesca Zanello, R&D Manager at Idrostudi.

Hydraulic models as a shared operational backbone

Opening the technical content, Luca Serena set out to demystify what a numerical hydraulic model is and how it has traditionally been used. He explained how network topology, asset characteristics, operating strategies, and boundary conditions such as demand or rainfall are combined within a solver to calculate flows, velocities, and pressures. Within Autodesk’s portfolio, this role is fulfilled by InfoWorks ICM for sewer and stormwater systems, alongside InfoWorks WS Pro for pressurised networks.

What has changed, Serena argued, is not the robustness of these tools but the expectations placed upon them. Models are no longer confined to offline master planning exercises; they are increasingly required to support operational decisions, emergency response, and long-term resilience planning. “You can take that offline model in real time and use the model to support network operation,” he said, referring to scenarios such as wastewater emergencies or extreme rainfall events.

A recurring theme in his presentation was the diversity of users who now rely on hydraulic insight. While expert modellers continue to work directly within InfoWorks, operators and decision-makers need fast, intuitive access to results. This requirement has driven the collaboration between Autodesk and Idrostudi, aimed at exposing the same underlying model through different interfaces, without duplicating data or logic.

One source of truth, multiple users

"When our tools require manually completing each step of a task, we think more like Technicians, focused on task execution and calculation. When our tasks are automated workflows, we think more like Engineers, focused on service levels and system optimization"  – Luca Serena

Serena described the architecture underpinning this approach as a “one source of truth” model. By sharing a single InfoWorks model in the backend, both modelling teams and operators work with consistent data and results. Changes made by specialists are immediately available to operational users, and vice versa, eliminating version conflicts and delays.

He framed this transformation around three enabling pillars: interoperability, collaboration, and reliability. InfoWorks’ ability to connect dynamically with GIS systems, SCADA data, and forecasting services allows models to be continuously updated. At the same time, multi-user databases — whether hosted on-premises or in the cloud — support concurrent work, full traceability of changes, and distributed simulations.

When these elements are aligned, Serena concluded, utilities can move away from reactive management. “Then you have the ability to move from reactive to proactive management, where you have the model that predicts the behaviour of the system,” he said.

Bringing the model into operations with iCG

The operational perspective was developed further by Francesca Zanello, who introduced Idrostudi’s digital platforms and their integration with Autodesk models. After briefly outlining Idrostudi’s background in water engineering and applied research, she focused on iCG, the company’s cloud-based platform for wastewater and stormwater management.

Zanello positioned iCG as a solution designed to transform large volumes of monitoring data into actionable knowledge. By combining real-time sensor data, AI-based analytics, and physically based numerical modelling, the platform supports both regulatory compliance and operational decision-making. Within iCG, the Digital Twin module integrates directly with InfoWorks ICM, enabling the creation of virtual replicas of urban drainage systems.

“ICG Digital Twin is the module of ICG that enables the creation of accurate virtual replicas of sewer collection systems and stormwater drainage networks,” Zanello explained, highlighting how advanced modelling capabilities are made accessible to non-specialist users.

From simulation to emergency management

Through a series of demonstrations, Zanello showed how operators can explore network topology, inspect asset properties, and analyse simulation results through a GIS-like interface. Users can visualise flooding, surcharge conditions, and flow dynamics over time, compare scenarios, and test the impact of structural changes or operational failures.

“The ICG Digital Twin allows utilities to simulate the network behaviour, analyse scenarios, and optimize the performance” – Francesca Zanello

Particular emphasis was placed on emergency situations. The digital twin allows operators to simulate events such as clogged screens or failed gates by simply changing asset status and re-running simulations. The effects are immediately visible on maps, plots, and long-section profiles, helping teams identify critical areas and prioritise interventions.

According to Idrostudi, this capability is central to improving operational readiness. “We expect that the adoption of ICG Digital Twin by urban drainage managers and technicians will speed up and improve the understanding of hydraulic phenomena, and help the operators in particular in the event of an emergency condition,” she said.

From roadmap to reality: towards operational digital twins

Looking ahead, Zanello outlined the future development roadmap for the iCG Digital Twin platform, pointing towards increasingly predictive capabilities. Planned enhancements include greater interactivity, broader support for urban drainage strategies, integrated 1D–2D simulations, and the future use of weather nowcasting to better anticipate critical events. These advances are intended to further embed digital twins into both daily operations and emergency management.

The subsequent question-and-answer session reinforced many of the themes raised earlier in the webinar, particularly the practical challenges utilities face when moving from traditional hydraulic models to operational digital twins. Beyond technical integration, speakers highlighted the importance of organisational readiness, the need to keep models continuously informed, and the challenge of breaking down data and departmental silos.

Audience questions also clarified how cloud-based architectures are enabling this transition. While modelling work continues in a desktop environment, shared cloud databases and distributed simulations allow multiple users to collaborate on the same model, ensuring consistency and scalability. This shared foundation makes it possible for scenarios created within a digital twin to be immediately available to modelling specialists, and vice versa.

The closing reflections brought the discussion back to the core message of the webinar: interoperability and accessibility are essential to turning hydraulic models into practical operational tools. By combining robust numerical engines with live data and intuitive interfaces, digital twins are emerging as a concrete pathway for utilities to move beyond reactive responses and towards more informed, proactive network management.