ICT4Water Action Group "Policies" (POL)
Actions related to this group from the “Digital Water Action Plan”:
1) Upgrade policies by considering the inclusion of real-time measurements
2) Data sharing and privacy management policies
3) Promote the links with the existing and future water legislation by deploying ICT4WATER use-case(s)
Action Group news
ICT4WATER Workshop: Digital Tools and Technologies enhancing water resilience
A Water Innovation Europe (WIE) event organised by the ICT4Water cluster, June 19, 2024, 9:30 – 16:00, BluePoint, Brussels
On June 19, members of the ICT4Water cluster, policy makers from various DGs, and other professionals gathered in a session to discuss tools and technologies for enhancing water resilience and to explore how water policies could be improved. The session was part of Water Innovation Europe 2024, one of a series of events organised by Water Europe and attracted around 30 people. Continued
June 19, ICT4WATER Workshop: Digital Tools and Technologies enhancing water resilience
On June 19, the ICT4Water cluster will host a special side-event to Water Innovation Europe (WIE) 2024. This year’s conference is all about recognising the crucial role of water for bolstering the European economic competitiveness, and the urgent need for investments to prevent economic downturns due to water crises. The focus of the ICT4Water event will be on digital tools and technologies enhancing water resilience. Showcases from mature, finishing and recently finished projects will be thematically grouped by the relevant Action Groups:
- Enable Data Sharing
- Intelligent and Smart Systems
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
- Actor Engagement and Co-creation
- Policies
- Business Models
The event will take place at BluePoint in Brussels on June 19 from 9:30-16:00. See here the full agenda. For more information check https://watereurope.eu/event/water-innovation-europe-2024/
Linking Digital Water to EU policies for the twin green and digital transition.
ICT4Water cluster event, June 21, 2023, 9:00 – 11:00, Brussels, BluePoint
On June 21, members of the ICT4Water cluster, policy makers from various DGs, and other professionals gathered in a session to discuss the linkage of digital water to EU policies. The session was part of Water Project Europe, one of a series of events organised by Water Europe and attracted over 50 people. Continued
ICT4Water special side-event at Water Innovation Europe 2023
On June 21, the ICT4Water cluster will host a special side-event to Water Innovation Europe (WIE) 2023. This year’s conference focuses on putting water at the heart of our next European Commission’s programme and next years’ plans by deploying a strategy to build a European Water-Smart Society. The focus of the ICT4Water event will be on the digital transition for the water sector. Central in the discussion will be the updated Action Plan and the latest developments in its six thematic areas, being:
- Enable Data Sharing
- Intelligent and Smart Systems
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
- Actor Engagement and Co-creation
- Policies
- Business Models
The event will take place at BluePoint in Brussels on June 21. For more information and registration check https://watereurope.eu/events/water-innovation-europe/
New DW2020 synergy group publication on Digitalisation in the water sector: Recommendations for policy developments at EU Level
A new DW2020 synergy group publication on Digitalisation in the water sector: Recommendations for policy developments at EU Level has been published this week. It contains an overview of current gaps in the EU legislative framework that hinder the use of the benefits of digitalisation in water sector as well as proposes concrete recommendations on how to overcome them. The publication highlights that digital solutions and innovations are needed to ensure sustainable and cost-efficient water management that can tackle challenges such as climate change, pollution and depletion of water resources and cyber threats. This joint policy brief is based on evidence from the development of 38 products and services as well as in 21 case studies of 5 ‘digital water’ H2020 projects – the active ICT4Water cluster members – DWC, ScoreWater, Fiware4Water, NAIADES and aqua3S.
Flash Report: Water Projects Europe 2022
THE EU DIGITAL TRANSITION FOR THE WATER SECTOR IN THE EU GREEN FUTURE CHALLENGES, PRESSURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
THE NEW ICT4WATER ACTION PLAN
Hybrid workshop
October 19, 2022, 9:00 – 13:00, Brussels, BluePoint
On October 19, members of the ICT4Water cluster, policy makers from various DGs, and other professionals gathered in a workshop to discuss the digital transition for the water sector and the cluster’s activities and plans for the next few years. The workshop was part of Water Projects Europe, one of a series of events organised by Water Europe. The hybrid workshop attracted about 50 people who attended physically and an online audience who participated remotely.
Andrea Rubini welcomed the participants on behalf of Water Europe and stressed the good relation between Water Europe and the ICT4Water cluster. Continued
NERC appoints Prof Albert Chen as Constructing a Digital Environment Senior Expert
Prof Albert Chen at the Centre for Water Systems (CWS) has been appointed as a UK Senior Expert in the NERC Digital Environment Expert Network, as a part of NERC/UKRI Constructing a Digital Environment (CDE) Programme. The CDE Programme aims to develop thinking and practice around a ‘digitally enabled environment’, providing benefits for policy makers, businesses, communities and individuals.
Prof Chen is specialised in Water, Human and Environment studies. His research career started with computer modelling of urban floods and he is always enthusiastic in building digital solutions to improve the understanding and management of water environment. He has created a series of modelling tools to advance scientific knowledge on the interrelationships between different phenomena, services, and consequences related to water, human, and environment. The outputs have helped risk communications among stakeholders and citizens to reach consensus on flood mitigation measure and decision making.
“My vision is unleashing the power of hydroinformatics that enables efficient and effective interventions systematically strengthening the resilience of human and environment to the impacts of water-related hazards, for both the present and the future climate scenarios.”, Prof Chen says.
He is currently co-leading the Policy Action Group in the European Commission’s ICT4Water Cluster to review existing challenges and to identify the advantages and opportunities of integrated ICT applications within water sector. The outcomes will contribute to shaping policy recommendations at super-national, national, and local levels to facilitate the uptake of digital solutions.
The need for digital water in a green Europe
The Policy Action Group has prepared a whitepaper named “The need for digital water in a green Europe – EU H2020 projects’ contribution to the implementation and strengthening of EU environmental policy“.
The purpose of this present document prepared by the Policy Action Group of the ICT4Water cluster is to highlight those possibilities that a more digitalised water industry can offer in support of the revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, the implementation of the revised EU Drinking Water Directive and the achievement of those goals established by the long-term environmental and climate strategies of the European Union. The document has been prepared after a process of consultation with members of consortia of about 60 EU-funded projects from ICT4Water cluster who were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire. After an initial analysis undertaken by an editorial board, individual leaders of specific projects were contacted in order to obtain further, indepth information. The resulting paper promotes the central role of the water sector within what is known as the Twin Transition to a green and digital economy as established in the objectives of the European Green Deal and above all recommends actions that would not only improve the management of the water sector as a whole within the context of the circular economy but also contribute significantly to the objectives of European environmental strategies that have been proposed during the period 2019-2020.
The document can be downloaded at the Publications Office of the EU.