Watering is now one of the biggest challenges for many areas of Greece, especially in islands and tourist destinations that are under huge pressure during the summer months. The work ‘Waterwise – Intelligent Vaminal Estimation for Climate Change’implemented by scientists of Democritus University of Thrace in collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki And three major IT companies in Athens and Thessaloniki, aspires to provide practical and scientifically documented solutions, not only for today but also for the near future.
In the microscope the areas with aqueous pressure
The aim of the project is to collect expensive data for all areas of the country facing water scarcity problems. Scientists will record both the existing consumption by residents and tourists and the real needs of each place to plan actions that will ensure water proficiency for the coming years.
Platform and artificial intelligence
As explains in the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Professor Dimitris EmmanouloudisDirector of the UNESCO CON-E-ECT headquarters in the DUI, the heart of the project is a platform that will record the inputs and outflows of each area of water, adapted to different climate scenarios (adverse, normally or favorable).
The platform, with the help of original software that combines artificial intelligence subsystems and Big Data Analysis (Big Data Analytics)will provide for future water consumption scenarios, taking into account the needs of residents and tourists.
The crucial issue of aqueous fingerprint of tourists
One of the biggest problems attempting to solve waterwise is the calculation of total aqueous footprint of tourists. To date, there has been insufficient evidence of how much water every visitor consumes and how many tourists will be found in each area annually.
To this end, the scientific team has created a questionnaire addressed to tourists – mainly island regions – and collects data on the type of accommodation, individual and collective water consumption, as well as saving practices.
Complete the WATERWISE questionnaire:
Greek (gr)
By research to action
Upon completion of data collection, waterwise will be able to accurately calculate the aqueous balance each area and determine the amount of water that is missing to design projects such as dams, reservoirs, tanks or desalination units.
Pilot application in six areas
In the first stage, the project will be piloted to the Santorini, Corfu, Chiosthem Ikaria ovens, Thassos and Drama. The ultimate goal is its nationwide application.
Tool
The team highlights that waterwise is not just a technical tool but a multidimensional strategy which enhances water safety, resilience to climate change and sustainable management of natural resources.
With the combination scientific data, prediction algorithms and participatory approachthe project aspires to be a model of water resources management for the whole Mediterranean.