Comprehensive monitoring of water pollution
Lead: KWB
Environment: Urban and peri-urban
Location: Berlin, Germany
CitSci approach: Dashboard co-creation
Context and challenges
Berlin is considered to be a “green city” as 30% of its total area is covered by green spaces and 6% by water. A large part of this water surface consists of small lakes that are distributed throughout its urban fabric and function as biodiversity hotspots and refuges against heat islands. However, these ecosystems are currently in danger due to rapid urban densification, and climate change, including soil sealing, longer drought periods and low connectivity of blue/green areas. Many of them are also susceptible to degradation due to extreme weather conditions since they highly depend on storm- and groundwater.
According to the European Water Framework Directive, monitoring is not mandatory for lakes smaller than 50 hectares and therefore, very little knowledge is usually available about these water bodies. In consequence, currently there are no automated methods to identify particularly polluted lakes and prioritize actions,which puts these spaces at even greater risk.
Ambition
Our aim is to improve the health of Berlin’s small lakes by facilitating access to knowledge about their status. To this end, we are developing indices based on water quality, mainly shaped by urban catchment areas, and water availability, largely dependent on soil sealing and drainage systems.
We intent to overcome the current data gaps by combining information from different sources such as measurements via water samples, IoT sensors, Earth Observation or citizen science programs. For that, we are developing AI-based approaches for data validation and mash-up ensuring compliance with the FAIR principles. This will allow the transfer of knowledge from some regularly sampled lakes to other water bodies.
IoT and the Green Deal Data Space
Why does the Internet of Things (IoT) play an important role in the implementation of the Green Deal Data Space? An article by Cédric Crettaz and Anna Brékine from IoT Lab.
How can urban lakes end data lakes? – Interview to Malte Zamzow
How can a data space help to improve water assessment of these areas? That’s why we have Malte Zamzow on our team.
Contact
CREAF - Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals
Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SPAIN
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