If the Dutch dams break, a large part of the country will be flooded with water. Although locals know this, there are still many who are little or never concerned. The government agency, Waterschap Rivierenland, was therefore faced with the challenge of making Dutch people more aware of the consequences of a dam breach. They asked us to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) application with which residents, after filling in their own postcode, get a digital experience of the consequences of a dam breach.

For the awareness campaign we have developed an AR application for Android and iOS devices. Users can enter their own zip code via the app. The application then calculates, based on the entered address details and released data from the Government, how high water rises in the event of a dike breach. When a user scans the floor, the water comes up through AR in his/her own living room.

We can proudly say that our goals have been amply achieved. In one week, the application was downloaded more than 30,000 times. In addition, the application was picked up by the national media, which made the awareness campaign reach almost 3 million people in three months!

Because the message was conveyed in a visual and interactive way, the target group could experience for themselves what would happen if a dam breaks. Something that would have never been impossible without AR. The strength of this campaign therefore lies in the unique experience that users get.