GWOPA and the European Space Agency (ESA) through Business Application Space Solutions (BASS) are collaborating on an Digitalization of the water and sanitation sector in the Global South initiative. The collaboration is focused on deploying (pre) operational services that exploit space-based and other terrestrial technologies to digitalize the operations carried out by water and sanitation operators residing in the Global South. The initiative will encompass various use cases, which can be categorised as follows: water sustainability and water resilience.
More information on the initiative is available here
As part of the intiative, a survey has been launched to understand utility needs and opportunities for digitalization using space-based and other terrestrial technologies. The aim is to support companies and utilities in co-developing new digital tools that address their challenges. The results of the survey will be included in a Call for Proposals, which will be used to shape the applications submitted by the companies. Water and sanitation operators will have the opportunity to participate in the pilot trial, which will be conducted in a pre-operational environment and provide valuable feedback.
The objectives of the survey are:
- Highlight operational challenges faced by water and sanitation utilities.
- Understand opportunities for commercial and environmentally sustainable solutions based on digital and space-based technologies.
- Create and explore synergies between operators and companies.
The survey aims to explore opportunities that address:
- Water sustainability – services that ensure maintenance and availability of clean water to meet multiple needs, from agriculture to municipal and industrial. Solutions may include monitoring of water pollution, detection of algae blooms, and river parameters (temperature, chlorophyll, turbidity, etc.).
- Water and wastewater resilience – services that ensure the ability of water and wastewater utilities to withstand and quickly recover from natural and human-made disasters like droughts and floods. Solutions may include real-time monitoring of water levels, disaster risk mapping, and early warning systems.
Review of the survey results
GWOPA and ESA BASS will analyze the survey responses to identify possible alignment with the interests and emerging solutions of technology providers. Utilities may be invited to refine their input further and explore opportunities for working with solution providers to co-design and trial the solutions with the support of ESA BASS. The results will also be presented at the 6th Global WOP Congress during a session organized by GWOPA and ESA BASS on “Space Solutions for Water and Sanitation”
Eligibility
All GWOPA members (new members can also apply and be eligible). Become a member and apply
