INTHEMED
Adapted from the project website
Objective
INTHEMED is aimed at providing the most innovative decision support system tools to be demonstrated and applied in selected case studies around the Mediterranean; it adopts a groundwater perspective linked to salinity challenges.
Mission
> Application of European standards on water management and wastewater treatment to non-European countries.
> Willingness of stakeholders to get involved on a new, innovative transparent governance.
> Economic growth in the study sites due to the adaptation of an efficient and effective management of groundwater.
> Positive impact on the environment.
> Improve water management by Water Authorities and concerned stakeholders by means of an innovative DSS tool.
Goals
> Identification of groundwater problems in the MED region by means of a SWOT analysis regarding quantitative and qualitative groundwater aspects of the five field sites.
> Investigation of the long-term groundwater trends by a data-driven analysis using historical in-situ groundwater quantity and quality data.
> Application of the innovative High-Resolution Monitoring Approach (HRMA: allowing near real-time monitoring).
> Incorporating groundwater management within a broader socio-economic context to improve water resources resilience through stakeholder workshops and dynamic simulation modelling.
> Raising awareness in society and among stakeholders to improve groundwater management through the implementation of a multi-actor participatory approach.
> Identification of groundwater problems and implementation of the appropriate feasible preventive mitigation options through sustainable learning processes.
> Establishment of adaptable and sustainable management strategies through the combination of HRMA, smart modelling, socio-economic assessments, bottom-up management and remediation strategies, an innovative Fuzzy WebDSS tool and effective communication dissemination strategies.
> Prediction of the effects of future climate and anthropogenic changes, and how they can be mitigated by stakeholder-suggested preventive options using smart modelling.
> Advice to industries at selected sites to reduce their discharge loads through the adoption of a local water management concept and the implementation of the best technologies for the treatment of their effluents.
> Development of an easy-to-use Fuzzy WebDSS tool benefiting from the real-time measured data using specific sensors and modelling results to reinforce early-warning and ensure the real-time groundwater characterization and optimal decision making.
> Promotion of InTheMED results and improvement of its regional and international visibility through participation in high-level international conferences and integration of different initiatives targeting the MED region.
> Upscaling of the InTheMED concept to the whole MED region and replicability of its methodology to other MED countries through cross-country dissemination tools based on participatory workshops and public communication.