Skip to main content
Knowledge category: Projects

A holistic water ecosystem for digitisation of urban water sector

Updated on 12.04.2023

Based on big data technology, the EU-funded NAIADES project will promote innovative water management solutions to improve services for homes and public buildings, such as shopping malls and hospitals. It will collect real-time data from buildings to provide information about the maintenance of operations.

Acronym: NAIADES
Countries: Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland
Project website: https://naiades-project.eu/
Start and end date: 01.06.2019 - 30.11.2022
Budget: 5 683 254 EUR
Funding source: Horizon 2020

More information

Increased knowledge and higher levels of understanding among consumers (both private and public entities) are critical for effective water management. The project will be implemented along three different dimensions: spatial (including groups such as ageing, disabled persons and children), temporal and nodal. For personalised feedback and recommendation services, the project will design an app aimed at promoting user engagement in water conservation activities.
 

NAIADES Ecosystem envisions transforming water sector through automated and smarter water resource management and environmental monitoring, achieving a high level of water services in both residential or commercial consumers, exploiting the efficient use of physical and digital components of water ecosystem.
 

NAIADES will apply in various situations on diverse big data in terms of sources, data types and entities represented that is collected by such water monitoring and control systems in Europe, including:

  • the water consumption in both retail and corporation efficiency;
  • the confidence of water consumers (including special groups as ageing, disabled persons and children), by measuring the water quality in residential buildings, offices and public infrastructures (mall, hospital);
  • the safety and reliability through the detection of warning signs from equipment failures and maintenance report; and
  • personalised persuasive feedback and recommendation services provided to the NAIADES app users, which aim to enhance public awareness on water consumption and usage savings, and promote user engagement in water conservation activities.
     

NAIADES’ artificial intelligence (AI) elements aim to provide multi-dimensional intelligence on the water ecosystem by introducing: Situational Intelligence - by collecting real-time data from the buildings as they are in operation and analysing it in three different dimensions; Spatial, Temporal and Nodal; Operational intelligence - by using the power of data and its capability to extract the right information at the right time to provide insight into water infrastructure operation and improve the effectiveness of maintenance activities; Asset intelligence: the continuous data streams produced from various sub-systems in buildings will help original equipment manufacturers build digital twins that represent physical systems in real-time. NAIADES ecosystem will be validated and demonstrated in three heterogeneous pilot sites in Alicante (Spain), Brăila (Romania) and Ville de Carouge (Switzerland).

Relevance for Circular Systemic Solutions

The NAIADES project will use the internet of things and AI to improve the control and management of water ecosystems, minimising the cost for water utilities. Deployed solutions will lead to impacts such as optimisation of water consumption, enhancement of public awareness on water consumption and usage savings, prediction of water demand to save water resources, reduce operation and energy costs and greenhouse gases. Different approaches are considered – reduction of use, optimisation and re-use as well as the work on raising awareness among citizens and behaviour change. The project will be of interest to a variety of cities/regions working on the Circular Systemic Solution in the water sector and whose ambitions include smartening water ecosystems, cutting costs and raising awareness among citizens.

Horizon programme(s) and/or topic(s)

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

Budget

€ 5 683 253.75 (EU contribution: € 4 999 980.13)

Responsible organisation and contact details

Ethniko Kentro Erevnas kai Technologikis Anaptyxis

Contact the project

Project consortium partners

  • Konnekt Able Technologies Limited
  • Mandat international alias fondation pour la cooperation internationale
  • UDG Alliance
  • Asociacion de Investigacion Metalurgica del Noroeste
  • Erevnitiko Panepistiliako Institouto Systimation Epikoinonias Kai Ypologiston-Emp
  • Institut Jozef Stefan
  • Advantic Sistemas y Servicios Sl
  • Disy Informationssysteme GmbH
  • Stichting Ihe Delft Institute For Water Education
  • Ibatech Tecnologia Sl
  • Guardtime Ou
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  • Fundacio Eurecat
  • Aguas Municipalizadas de Alicante
  • Empresa Mixta
  • Compania de Utilitati Publice Dunarea Braila SA
  • Ville de Carouge
  • Software Imagination & Vision SRL
Sectors

CEAP2 key product value chain

CEAP2 key product value chain

CEAP2 key product value chain

digital tools facilitating CE transition

Territories involved

large 500 000-200 000, medium 200 000-50 000, and small cities 50 000-5 000

large metropolitan area >1.5 million, metropolitan area 1.5 million-500 000

Intra-territorial areas

e.g. commercial, residential, service, industrial