SMART-Water project aims to protect biodiversity by monitoring water quality in Lake Vrana (Croatia), Lake Deran (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Lake Skadar (Montenegro). These protected lakes are critical habitats for plants and animals and provide numerous ecological and social benefits.
Why is SMART-Water important?
The water quality of these lakes is increasingly threatened by industry, agriculture, urbanization, and climate change. Eutrophication, pollutants, and rising water temperatures endanger biodiversity and lake ecosystems.
SMART-Water takes a novel approach by combining multiple data sources and models into a unified web GIS platform to provide comprehensive and real-time water quality data. SMART-Water addresses several common water quality challenges in the cross-border region, such as insufficient monitoring and data collection, a lack of stakeholder’s cooperation and communication, and the need to strengthen water management legislative and regulatory frameworks.
SMART-Water seeks to establish a common framework for monitoring and managing the inland water quality, which requires cross-border cooperation. Water pollution is transboundary, and preventing and controlling transboundary water pollution requires a coordinated approach to monitoring and managing water quality. SMART-Water will facilitate the exchange of data and information on water quality among the region's countries, allowing them to work effectively together to address the issue of transboundary and interregional water pollution. A variety of socioeconomic and environmental factors that affect the quality and management of water resources are unique to the SMART-Water karst region.
Project objectives
By integrating various data sources and models into a unified platform and promoting joint cross-border cooperation and communication, SMART-Water takes a unique approach. SMART-Water also includes community engagement activities to raise citizen awareness and participation in water quality monitoring and protection.
Main SMART-Water outputs are:
- Inland water quality monitoring database updated for three research areas
- Joint activity plan for data collection and processing for inland water quality management
- Online satellite remote sensing product - AI/ML predictive model for inland water quality monitoring in near-real-time
- Web GIS platform with geospatial data at three research areas
- Guidelines for implementing climate change water monitoring techniques
- Education for public and training for lake authorities for new monitoring and inspection procedures.
SMART-Water strengthens lake protection systems through the collaboration of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The project provides innovative solutions for water quality monitoring and management, ensuring the preservation of biodiversity and healthy aquatic ecosystems.
