Launch of HydroVenture, the first operational space hydrology center

Monday 04 April 2024
Misc, vorteX-io News

Fourteen pioneers from industry and research in the fields of hydrology and space are launching a revolutionary project: HydroVenture, the first operational space hydrology center for global water monitoring and management. As a specialist in real-time river monitoring and a founding member of this consortium, vorteX-io will contribute to better water monitoring and management on a global scale.

Water, a key social and geopolitical issue

Water, an essential element for life on Earth, is today at the heart of major societal and geopolitical challenges. Faced with growing scarcity, exacerbated by climate change and population growth, it is crucial to rethink our water management to make it more resilient, more sustainable and more concerted.

Climate change is having a significant impact on the resource. Rising temperatures lead to increased evaporation from rivers, lakes and soils, reducing the amount of water available. Changes in precipitation patterns are exposing certain regions of the world to more random and intense droughts and floods.

These hazards pollute waterways, degrade farmland and affect food production. They impact not only economic activities, but above all life on Earth, particularly aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity and, of course, human populations: shortages of drinking water, food insecurity, conflicts and migrations…

To meet the common challenges of climate change, it is imperative to strengthen international cooperation and establish more effective water governance on a global scale.

Global awareness

The growing number of extreme weather events in recent decades has raised political awareness at all levels.

In France, governments are mobilizing. Water Plan, France Green Nation, France 2030… Initiatives are multiplying to support the ecological transition, improve water management and reduce our impact on the environment.

The European Union, for its part, has implemented several directives to ensure better protection of continental waters, more effective flood risk management and improved quality of water for human consumption. At the same time, ambitious space programs are being launched to promote innovative satellite and in-situ Earth observation systems and services (Copernicus), and to create a highly accurate digital model of the Earth on a global scale (Destination Earth – DestinE).

Finally, on a global scale, the “Early Warning for All ” initiative supported by the United Nations, aims to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from dangerous weather, water and climate events by life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027.

HydroVenture contributes fully to these political initiatives to ensure real-time monitoring and management of continental hydrological systems.

HydroVenture’s vision

Space observation for water management on Earth

The major challenges facing water management on a global scale are the increasing risk of droughts and floods, the deterioration in the quality of the resource and its gradual scarcity. Against this backdrop, HydroVenture has set itself some ambitious targets:

Deploy a national and European system to develop a sector of excellence in space hydrology.
Bringing together the public and private sectors to offer new products and services for Earth observation in the field of continental hydrology.
Respond to current challenges linked to the lack and heterogeneity of water data, insufficient real-time information and the need for better cross-border coordination.

By combining data already available and integrating that collected by future space missions, HydroVenture paves the way for in-depth forecasting and analysis. This translates into concrete applications such as monitoring water stocks, forecasting flood and drought risks, and monitoring water quality.

A base of 14 leading players in the hydrology and space sectors

Created under the impetus of CS Group, Magellium and vorteX-io, HydroVenture is a public-private consortium also comprising BRL Ingénierie, CERFACS, CLS Group, MEOSS , ICube-SERTIT, Hydro Matters and the Data Terra research infrastructure grouping CNES, CNRS, INRAE and IRD.

Water, the invisible source of the global economy, is a crucial issue for many economic and geopolitical players and sectors: international organizations, governments, environmental protection, defense and civil security, industry, agriculture, finance, insurance, transport…

This unprecedented collaboration will support the development of a French industry of excellence in space hydrology, and actively encourage the participation of research laboratories, start-ups, SMEs, industrial groups and public sector players with a European and international reach. Together, they will form a dynamic partnership to feed data into the Earth’s future digital hydrological twin, and develop new commercial products and services to better respond collectively to water-related challenges.