Water is an indispensable good for the permanence of life on Earth and its availability for human consumption has been reduced not only by the lower abundance of this resource in the environment, but also by the quality of water bodies. If consumption patterns remain unchanged, it is estimated that by 2030 almost half of the world's population will be living in areas with high water stress. This situation has generated apprehensions worldwide, and the preservation of this resource is highlighted in the various world political agendas. Climate Change and the constant growth of the world population have introduced changes in the natural and urban water cycle. Growing urbanization, increasing demand for water and increasing frequency and intensity of extreme phenomena such as droughts and floods have presented some challenges to water management, such as the growing scarcity of this resource.

Thus, the WDS project intends to respond to current problems, such as combating water scarcity, contributing to the efficiency in the use of water, as well as to the continuation of the excellence of the quality with which it reaches end consumers' taps, aiming at research and development of an innovative system for monitoring, managing the distribution network and assessing water quality. Contributing in a simple way to update the management entities of water supply networks regarding their water supply capacity and quality.

Main goals

1. Monitoring of the entire water distribution network with the detection of water losses;

2. Management of the distribution network and water consumption of its users, aided by artificial intelligence algorithms, allowing the detection of water breakages and leaks or irregular consumption behavior;

3. Gamification in the relationship between end users and the management entity, allowing the reduction of consumption through interactive games, which will give visibility to the project and this theme and promote the interaction of the management entity with its customers, contributing to environmental awareness;

4. Measurement of water quality parameters in the distribution network.

Project number: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047224

Approval date: 24 November 2020

Project duration: January 2021 to June 2023

Toal eligible cost: 722 672.31€

Financial support EU: FEDER – 532 237.06€

Project type: SI &DT Empresarial – Copromoção

Intervention region: Centre and North of Portugal