The project
MAR2PROTECT will provide a holistic approach to prevent groundwater contamination from the impacts of climate change and global change, through different innovative technologies.
The main idea consists in a tool supported by Artificial Intelligence that will receive real-time information from sensors placed in risk locations where the technologies will be implemented, among other vitally important information (innovative technologies, preferences of social agents, risk assessment…).
The tool will allow a new generation of Managed Aquifer Recharge approach to improve groundwater quality and quantity. The core of the innovative Managed Aquifer Recharge is the M-AI-R Decision Support System which will incorporate technological and societal engagement information using an Artificial Intelligence-based evaluation to improve groundwater quality and quantity
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Demosites
To ensure a high replication potential, M-AI-R Decision Support System will collect information from 7 demo sites in 4 European countries (Portugal, Italy, Spain, Netherlands) and 2 in non-European countries (Tunisia, South Africa) which were carefully chosen by their degree of maturity from previous successful projects and a wide range of settings in terms of climatic conditions, water sources, type of pollution, Managed Aquifer Recharge scheme and political/societal context.
Latest news
Living Lab Meeting at the Emilia-Romagna Region
The Emilia Romagna LivingLab of the MAR2PROTECT project hosted a special event at the University of Bologna on February 7, 2025. The meeting brought together 8 external stakeholders from diverse organizations, including water utilities, local governments,...
EU Commission Requests Collaboration for the Development of the European Water Resilience Strategy
The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to gather input from stakeholders in desiging the European Water Resilience Strategy. This initiative, driven by the European Commission, aims to develop a comprehensive, multi-annual, cross-sectoral plan to...
Cape Flats Living Lab Hosts Its Second Event on Technology Demonstrations and Societal Engagement
On 28 January 2025, MAR2PROTECT hosted a successful Technology Demonstration and Societal Engagement Co-Design Event at the Cape Flats Aquifer Living Lab in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Held at Stellenbosch University and Uva Mira Wine Farm, the event gathered...
MAR2PROTECT Technologies
The innovative socio-technological approach for the new-generation Managed Aquifer Recharge is based on the M-AI-R Decision Support System that uses Artificial Intelligence-based techniques to increase Managed Aquifer Recharge efficiency and supports decision makers in all steps, from design to operation to yield assessment. M-AI-R-Decision Support System is closely interconnected with an innovative modelling tool (gRoundwatEr quAlity CHange) aimed at quantifying global change/climate change impacts on groundwater quality, and an innovative Ground Water Prevention Internet of Things platform for the monitoring of pollutants in real environments using the information provided by real-time integrated sensing systems and innovative analytical techniques. M-AI-R-Decision Support System will use information from 7 carefully selected demo sites, distributed between Europe and Africa, representing a wide range of Managed Aquifer Recharge schemes, climatic conditions, type of groundwater pollution and political / societal context that ensure a high replication potential of the proposed technologies and stakeholder engagement approach. MAR2PROTECT will encompass major technological and non-technological breakthroughs compared to the current service-oriented architecture. All technologies and social activities, articulated in the 6 groups described here below, will start at Technology Readiness Level 3 / Societal Readiness Level 2 and will end at Technology Readiness Level 4 (for all technologies) and Societal Readiness Level 6. In the case of the social activities and technologies selected for upscale in the demo sites, a Technology Readiness Level 5 and Societal Readiness Level 6 will be reached.