The technical area was selected to address the major challenge of managing immensely complex regulated river systems on very large scales.  Specifically, the project focuses on managing channel networks for flood management, environmental objectives and water supply reliability.
The Huaihe River Basin will be used as an example to assist in defining research areas and specific projects.  This river basin comprises a complex network of river channels interspersed with large lakes.  There are multiple large floodways draining high flows out of the channels and lakes to the ocean directly (>150km long).