Supported by the development of technological tools, the DIGITAP project aims to monitor, prevent and optimise the water supply system.
Five Basque companies and organisations have launched the DIGITAP project. Through the development and implementation of digital twins, DIGITAP aims to contribute to improving the integrated management of water supply systems. The monitoring and surveillance of the health of water bodies, based on the possibilities derived from innovative technological tools, will enable new methods to be implemented in order to facilitate the availability of early warning systems for the quality of water intake at supply plants.
This initiative, which will run until April 2026, addresses the major challenge of integrated water management in a scenario in which there are increasing uncertainties, and in which digitalisation will be a key tool to address the challenges, not only in relation to mitigating and adapting to climate change and improving the state of aquatic ecosystems, but also to improve the management of the water cycle in order to anticipate scarcity events that will become increasingly frequent.
Water is an indispensable resource for life, and its scarcity is a limiting factor for the development of any type of activity. This, along with the fact that its permanent availability and quality is increasingly uncertain, more than ever makes the assessment of water risk a strategic challenge. Water management must now be synonymous with risk management. Water service providers must be able to manage periods of scarcity, drought, floods, water quality, and a long etc. that is addressed through the concept of water security.
Extreme events are becoming more and more common as a result of climate change. With periods of prolonged droughts, along with periods of very intense rainfall that may even entail the risk of flooding, the integrated management of the water cycle must adapt to a new water reality and adapt management systems to guarantee a normal supply in terms of both quantity and quality due to its strategic importance for society as a whole.
The innovative nature of the DIGITAP project consists of the application of digitalisation and the development of technological tools that specifically address problems concerning the integrated urban water cycle and its interrelation with the water environment in order to achieve a prediction of water quality at source, as well as the prediction of water shortages and droughts. Within the framework of the project, a pilot case will be developed at one of AMVISA's (Aguas Municipales de Vitoria-Gasteiz) supply plants, in order to contribute to improving resource efficiency and decision-making.The DIGITAP project aims to develop technological solutions that offer a quantitative and qualitative analysis of water contingencies, which can identify and anticipate various situations leading to the minimisation of risk situations through decision-making based on data analysis.
The different work phases include the conceptualisation and development of the digital tool and a subsequent application for its validation which identifies the needs and requirements of the water cycle sector in relation to companies dedicated to the IoT (Internet of Things) and digitalisation, in addition to encouraging innovation.
Project consortium
The DIGITAP consortium is made up of Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster as project leader and coordinator and Agrupa Laboratorio, Aquadat, Cimas and the GAIKER Technology Centre.
The project is funded by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism’s Support Programme for Innovative Business Clusters (AEI) through the EU-funded Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Mechanism – Next Generation EU.
GAIKER's work
GAIKER, as a technology centre of recognised prestige and extensive experience in the field of water, will contribute its knowledge of the water quality indicator parameters in water bodies, as well as their influence on the different treatments that make up the drinking water treatment process. All this will be integrated into the digital tool to be developed in the project.
