What is WILMA?
WILMA stands for Waterschaps Informatie- en Logisch Model Architectuur (Water Authority Information and Logical Model Architecture). It is the reference architecture for the Dutch water authorities (waterschappen), intended to deliver coherence, reusability and interoperability in information provision.
WILMA translates the principles of NORA into the world of water management, with attention to the unique processes and systems within water authorities.
🧠 The aim of WILMA
| Objective | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Coherence | Provides alignment between processes, data, applications and infrastructure |
| Standardisation | Promotes reusability and comparability between water authorities |
| Alignment with national frameworks | Connects to NORA and laws and regulations (such as the BIO) |
| Support for digital transformation | Facilitates innovation in the management of water, assets and the environment |
🧱 The structure of WILMA
WILMA consists of multiple layers and models, inspired by NORA:
| Architecture layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Principles | Starting points such as ‘reuse first’ and ‘secure by design’ |
| Information architecture | Information models, such as case information, geographical data, asset data |
| Application architecture | Function models for processes such as permits, management and supervision |
| Technical architecture | Underlying infrastructure, security, interfaces |
🌊 WILMA and OT in water authority practice
Water authorities use a great deal of Operational Technology (OT): think of measurement points, pumping stations, locks, monitoring wells and SCADA systems. WILMA provides frameworks to integrate IT and OT more effectively, so that data can be used safely, reliably and in a standardised way.
| OT application | WILMA relevance |
|---|---|
| Real-time water measurements | Linking sensor data to information platforms within the WILMA architecture |
| Asset management of pumping stations | Uniform modelling of objects, data and maintenance within information models |
| SCADA integration | Description of interfaces between OT systems and the back office |
| Cybersecurity of installations | Application of BIO, IEC 62443 and ‘security by design’ in OT infrastructure |
WILMA also supports the application of standards such as IMWA, OTL and Linked Data in water data.
🔗 Relationship with other architectures
| Architecture | Relationship with WILMA |
|---|---|
| NORA | WILMA is the sectoral elaboration for water authorities |
| GEMMA | Comparable structure for municipalities — collaboration possible via chain models |
| MARIJ | Central government variant, based on the same principles |
| PETRA | Provincial variant — useful for area-based collaboration |
🔐 Security and compliance
- Alignment with the BIO (Government Information Security Baseline)
- Frameworks for protecting water data and OT systems
- Support for lifecycle management of assets and digital services
- Security by Design as an integral principle across all layers
📌 In summary
WILMA helps water authorities to digitise their core tasks responsibly. By providing principles, models and standards — specifically for the context of water management and OT — WILMA forms a bridge between traditional fieldwork and modern data-driven control.