R&D&i
Since its foundation in 1971, OFITECO has maintained an unstoppable innovative vocation aimed to look for the most accurate techniques and methodologies in order to get a better safety management and to prevent the risk over major infrastructures (road works, underground works, tunnels, viaducts, dams, reservoirs and irrigation channels), as well as the management of natural risks such as floods and earthquakes.
Research, Development and Innovation Experience
From its beginning, OFITECO’s innovative vocation led it into the field of design and fabrication of sensors and equipment for the instrumentation and acquisition of information. In the past several years, doing its own fabrication has led to a philosophy of system integration, permanently innovative, which shows its zeal for improving products and services and this way, the applications and techniques that they employ have become in one of the OFITECO’s main differentiated ways.
Innovation taking place every Day
Insofar as OFITECO develops solutions to engineering problems posed, by applying techniques or technologies not used to date, innovation is taking place every day, at the company, in the economic sector, or even national and international market.
R&D Investment
OFITECO invests 5 % of its sales in R&D projects, which allows the development of methods, products, services and technologically innovative tools, applicable to hydraulics, hydrology, the environment and civil works, in close collaboration with research centers and universities.
Technological Development Projects 2011-2013
In 2011 OFITECO decided to undertake two interesting projects, seeking to maximize the positive impact on their technical and technological advancement.
These projects are as follows: XLIDE and TIC-DAMDATA.
Control management and Information System and analysis of dam-monitoring data
Subdiscipline and UNESCO code: 3111 Instrumentation Technology
Certifying entity: ACIE, Agencia de Certificación en Innovación Española
Scope:
Design and development of instrumentation and monitoring tools within three areas of research:
- Sensors to detect leaks
- Storage and management of the sensory data collected and
- Classification of the dam’s status from the information provided.
The global objective is the efficient and systematic analysis and interpretation of information that is generated at various stages in the operation of a dam, and by doing this, to identify high-risk scenarios ahead of time so that the competent institutions can articulate timely saftety measures and avoid catastrophic consecuences, both social and economic.
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R&D in viaducts instrumentation through fiberoptics technology
Length: 2008-2009
Subdiscipline and UNESCO code: 3311.17 Scanning equipment
Certifying entity: ACIE, Agencia de Certificación en Innovación Española
Scope:
Design and installation of an instrumentation system for monitoring the large-scale use of fiberoptics in viaducts.
With the use of fiberoptic, diffraction-grating sensors, the system has the advantage of being immune to electromagnetic interference. As a result, it can be used on railway viaducts with more reliability than conventional tools or sensors which are exposed to electromagnetic interference.
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SEPRISIS: Dams safety assessment and risk scenes identification through intellig
Length: 2008-2010
Project coordinator: Manuel G. de Membrillera
Partners: OFITECO (coordination), UPM, CIMNE (UPC)
Body: SPANISH MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AND MARINE AFFAIRS (currently MICINN)
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FLUVALPS: Changes in Alpine fluvial systems during the last 3,000 years and floods risks associated to climate change and land use
Length: 2007-2009/2009-2011
Project coordinator: LotharSchulte (UB)
University of Barcelona, University of Berna, ServeiMeteorològic de Catalunya, CSIC, OFITECO, Schmidt Information and Webdesign
Body: Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (currently MICINN), DURSI (Generalitat de Catalunya), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
http://www.palaeo.org/about_us/
