IDEATION – Inland Waters in the Digital Twin Ocean

IDEATION is a European project set to advance technologies to integrating inland waters and ocean in a unique digital twin of the European hydrosphere. It is a Horizon Europe project funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). The project, which started on June 1st, 2024, will have two years to provide the European Commission a roadmap, including a reference architecture, use cases and recommendations for the design of a Digital Twin Inland Waters to be integrated and fully interoperable with the already existing European Digital Twin Ocean. Lessons learnt during the project will be openly available, including an open knowledge inventory for inland water systems (OpenKIWAS).

Multi-Stakeholder Forums

Multi-Stakeholder Forums, involving Water Oriented Living Labs and local stakeholders across 13 country-based Reference Scenarios will provide valuable insights. KWR leads the stakeholder engagement activities, guiding project partners in planning and hosting Multi-Stakeholder Forums (MSFs) across 13 country-based Reference Scenarios, including The Netherlands. These forums will leverage the Water Europe network of Water Oriented Living Labs (WoLLs) and local stakeholders from project partners. Using diverse engagement methods, the MSFs will gather valuable insights from stakeholders on the functional and non-functional requirements for the future Digital Twin for Inland Waters, covering various water types such as rivers, groundwater, reservoirs, urban waters, and ice and snow. Additionally, the forums will provide input on the reference architecture and policy recommendations for the digital twin’s design.

A consortium of leading partners

The IDEATION project, led by Cetaqua, unites a consortium of eleven partners from across Europe, including leading research institutions, universities, and technological organizations KWR, CERTH, Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion, University of Cyprus (KIOS), Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, FIWARE Foundation, Water Europe, Fondazione CMCC, Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt, and the University of Exeter. This diverse collaboration exemplifies the strength of European cooperation in driving the water digital transition and fostering technological innovation. Together, the consortium will develop a comprehensive, stakeholder-informed roadmap to guide the European Commission in creating a digital twin of the European hydrosphere, encompassing both inland waters and oceans.