FAQ
Frequently asked questions
About Sophea, the data in the Dutch Key Register of the Subsurface (BRO), the AI assistant, Pastas, the packages and how to get access.
FAQ
About Sophea
What is Sophea?
Sophea is the AI hydrology assistant for the public data in the Dutch Key Register of the Subsurface (BRO). You choose an area; Sophea loads the BRO objects in that area and answers your questions about them with charts, maps, well diagrams and time-series models.
Do I need Dawaco Phrea™?
No, Sophea stands alone. Sophea reads and analyses the BRO data for the area you choose, including your own wells; managing your network and delivering to the BRO is what Dawaco Phrea™ is for.
Does Sophea deliver to the BRO?
No. Sophea only reads: it never changes, registers or delivers BRO data. You deliver and correct with Dawaco Phrea™.
Is Sophea backed by TNO or the BRO?
No. Sophea is not a service of the BRO, TNO or the government; the data is public and belongs to its data owners (bronhouders), the public bodies that register it.
FAQ
BRO data
Is everything from the BRO in it?
No. In Sophea: GMW, GLD, GAR, GMN, FRD and BHR-GT by default; CPT, GUF and GPD as options. Not in Sophea: BHR-P, BHR-G, REGIS and GeoTOP, and the other BRO registration objects.
Does Sophea see deregistered objects?
No. Sophea loads registered objects only; what the BRO has deregistered, Sophea does not load.
Why does loading take so long?
Sophea fetches each object from the public BRO at the rate the BRO allows: only a few requests per second. A small area is ready within minutes; a province or a large organisation loads in hours, the largest over several days, and each batch is usable as soon as it is in.
Does my shapefile stay on my computer?
Yes. Sophea reads it in the browser and sends only the outline.
The codes GMW, GLD, GAR, GMN, FRD, BHR-GT, CPT, GUF and GPD are explained on the BRO data page.
FAQ
Questions and AI
Can I trust an AI with hydrological questions?
Sophea runs its calculations on the BRO data for your area, shows the chart or the map and names the source. When something is missing, it says so. The judgement stays with you.
What does Sophea do when data is missing?
Then Sophea says so and does not fill the gap itself. It tells data that has not been loaded apart from data that does not exist.
Can I see that an answer was made by AI?
Yes. Every answer is marked as AI-generated.
May staff pass an answer from Sophea on to a member of the public?
Only after checking it themselves. Sophea is a support tool for staff; every answer is marked as AI-generated and the judgement stays with you.
The judgement stays with the hydrologist.
FAQ
Pastas
Which series does Sophea work with?
With the groundwater levels in the BRO as the series the model explains, and KNMI precipitation and evaporation. At launch Sophea works with precipitation and evaporation. You model the influence of abstractions and surface water in Dawaco Phrea™.
Can I export a model to Python?
Yes. You save a model in the Pastas file format.
Who sees my models?
Your models are yours: nobody else in the workspace sees them.
Is the outlook a guarantee?
No. It is a model estimate, only as reliable as the model itself.
Pastas is named descriptively. Pastas is open-source software by its own authors; Dawaco is not affiliated with the Pastas project.
FAQ
Packages
What is a token?
A token is a piece of text, roughly a syllable. Every question costs a fixed base, plus the data Sophea retrieves for it and the answer it writes. So a question about every well in a province costs far more than a question about one well.
What happens at 100%?
At 80% of the yearly budget you get a warning; at 100% the chat pauses until a top-up or the renewal. Maps, well windows and your models keep working.
How many questions do I get?
That depends on your questions, which is why we do not name a fixed number of questions per package. At 80% of the yearly budget you get a warning, and in the demo we look together at which package suits the questions you want to ask.
What is an area?
A saved BRO area of your organisation. The number of saved areas across your whole organisation counts towards your package; the number of wells in an area does not.
FAQ
Access
How do I get access?
Access to Sophea is by invitation: Dawaco sets up each organisation and its users. Request access through the form, and we will contact you.
Can I try Sophea first?
Book a demo for your own area. Then we discuss the next step together.
Is your question not listed?
Access to Sophea is by invitation: Dawaco sets up each organisation and its users. Ask your question in the form or e-mail info@dawaco.nl.