DWC’s main goal is to boost the integrated management of water systems in five major European urban and peri-urban areas (Berlin, Milan, Copenhagen, Paris and Sofia) by leveraging the potential of data and smart digital technologies.

DWC will create linkages between the digital and the physical worlds by developing and demonstrating 18 advanced digital solutions to address current and future water-related challenges; namely the protection of human health, the increase of performance and return on investment of water infrastructures and the involvement of citizens in urban water management.

Areas of application of DWC digital solutions range from groundwater management, sewer maintenance and operation, wastewater treatment and reuse to urban bathing water management.

DWC combines cutting-edge digital technologies such as augmented reality, open-source software, cloud computing, real-time sensors, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and decision support systems.

DWC integrates the development of digital solutions in a dedicated guiding protocol to cover the existing gaps regarding ICT governance, interoperability, ontology and cybersecurity. Ultimately, DWC will provide an interoperable free flow of information among stakeholders and across the water value chain. DWC will generate the necessary conditions for co-creation and open innovation by the establishment of Community of Practices aiming at integrating stakeholder knowledge, ensuring the transferability of the digital solutions in other European or international contexts, supporting knowledge transfer beyond DWC and creating durable binding between European cities.

The large-scale assessment and communication of the benefits provided by the digital solutions in the five major cities will serve as lighthouse, raising the awareness of European cities for a necessary digital transformation, and opening new market opportunities for DWC partners and European providers of digital solutions.

The DWC project can be interesting for local and regional authorities developing a Circular Systemic Solution related to local urban water systems and digitalisation.

Pilot cities test and validate the use of digital technologies and sustainable practices to improve the management of water infrastructures. In total, 15 advanced digital solutions (including, augmented reality, data driven intelligence, machine learning and models, smart sensors, robotics, etc.) to address current and future water-related challenges will be developed and validated.

Challenges to be addressed are in the areas of wastewater collection, water reuse and agriculture, wastewater treatment, among others.

All actors within the considered digital value chains are involved as well as other relevant stakeholders specific to each pilot case – e.g. Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises as well as Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection in Berlin, the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG) 2024 in Paris or the International Association of Water Supply Companies in the Danube River Catchment Area to support activities in Sofia.

Programme:

• H2020-EU.3.5. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Topic:

• SC5-11-2018 - Digital solutions for water: linking the physical and digital world for water solutions

€ 5 897 782.70 (EU contribution - € 4 997 161.66)

Kwb Kompententzzentrum Wasser Berlin Gemeinnutzige GmbH
Contact the project

• Berliner Wasserbetriebe
• Dhi A/S
• Syndicat interdepartmental pour l'assainissement de l'agglomeration parisienne
• Biofos As
• Kando Environmental Services Ltd
• Sofiyska Voda Ad
• Universita Politecnica delle Marche
• Cap Holding Spa
• Arctik Srl
• Ecologic Institut Gemeinnützige GmbH
• Fundacio Institut Catala de Recerca de L'aigua
• Vragments GmbH
• Ipek International GmbH
• Universita degli Studi di Milano
• Istituto Superiore di Sanita
• Sorbonne Universite
• Strane Innovation
• Fluidion
• Sintef As
• Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture
• l'alimentation et l'environnement; Partners4urbanwater
• I-Catalist Sl
• Gimeno Digital Technologies Sociedad Limitada