The eGROUNDWATER project - Citizen science and ICT-based enhanced information systems for groundwater assessment, modelling and sustainable participatory management - started in April 2020, and aims to support sustainable and participatory groundwater management in the Mediterranean region by designing and testing technological information systems that enable citizen involvement and participation.
eGROUNDWATER is coordinated by IIAMA-UPV (Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente of the Universitat Politècnica de València), with the participation of research centers in Algeria, Spain, France, Morocco and Portugal.
In Portugal, ISEG is responsible for assessing the institutional transitions needed to change sustainable management practices. The team is led by Marta Varanda (SOCIUS) in partnership with Sofia Bento (SOCIUS), both researchers from the CSG consortium.
Groundwater is subject to pressures such as overexploitation and pollution. A critical issue for groundwater management is the availability of data. The eGROUNDWATER platform will be a technological breakthrough due to the combination of data. Sources of information include earth observation (drones, remote sensing), sensors, ICT tools (e.g. mobile apps) and the involvement of citizens and stakeholders in gathering information. The increased availability of data will help improve the control of abstraction and overexploitation of groundwater, supporting sustainable groundwater management as well as agricultural activities.
The research focuses on four case studies: the Requena-Utiel aquifer (Spain), the Timimoun oasis (Algeria), the Aim TImguenay aquifer (Morocco) and the Campina de Faro aquifer (Portugal).
The team of researchers associated with ISEG (CSG consortium) is already studying the Campina de Faro aquifer, which is subject to various problems such as the contamination of the Ria Formosa lagoon by nitrates due to agricultural activities and the progressive decrease in groundwater levels caused by tourist development. ISEG will also lead the development of pathways to scale up the sustainable groundwater management strategies tested in the case studies across the country.
Campina de Faro Aquifer | Photo: Luís Nunes
This project is being developed through the PRIMA program (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area), funded by the European Union, Horizon 2020.
More Information here.
