Projects

Systemic circular solutions demonstrated in European cities and regions

Europe’s cities and regions manage many of the systems where resources are consumed, wasted and reused – from waste, water and food systems to mobility, housing and local industry. By working with businesses, researchers and citizens, they can turn local waste streams into valuable resources, reduce environmental pressures and create more resilient, innovative and liveable communities. This CORDIS Results Pack highlights six EU-funded projects that developed and demonstrated successful, transferable circular solutions in European cities and regions

Because cities concentrate people, infrastructure, consumption and economic activity, they also concentrate opportunities for circular innovation. The choices made by local and regional authorities can therefore have an outsized impact on Europe’s transition towards a more resource-efficient economy. Cities consume over 75 % of natural resources, generate more than half of global waste and are responsible for around 70 % of global CO2 emissions.

Yet, these same territories also produce large volumes of food waste, wastewater, construction waste and industrial by-products that hold immense potential to serve as local secondary resources. Local and regional authorities are uniquely positioned to unlock this potential, as they manage the very systems central to a circular transition, including waste, water, mobility, housing, food systems and public procurement.

A commitment to real-world solutions

Through the EU’s flagship Circular Cities and Regions Initiative – CCRI(opens in new window), cities and regions across Europe are connecting with peers, testing new approaches and accelerating the deployment of circular solutions adapted to local realities. This CORDIS Results Pack showcases systemic, on-the-ground circular economy solutions deployed in European cities and regions under the CCRI from six Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects.

These initiatives are already transforming local value chains, reducing resource use, creating economic opportunities and improving quality of life for citizens. They show how systemic circular solutions enable communities to achieve ambitious sustainability goals while igniting job creation, skills development and social innovation.

From local action to European impact

Beyond environmental gains, circular solutions can deliver tangible benefits for citizens and local economies. By turning waste into resources, cities and regions can reduce pressure on natural resources, strengthen local supply chains, create new business opportunities and generate skilled jobs. Circular approaches can also help improve resource security, lower waste management costs and make communities more resilient to future economic and environmental shocks.

These local initiatives directly contribute to the objectives of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan(opens in new window), a core pillar of the European Green Deal(opens in new window). By extending the life of products and materials, promoting reuse and recycling, and creating new value from waste streams, cities and regions are helping translate European ambitions into practical solutions that improve everyday life.

Scaling solutions across Europe

The projects featured in this Results Pack demonstrate that circular economy solutions are no longer theoretical concepts but practical approaches already delivering results in diverse European territories. From turning wastewater into fertilisers and extending the life of electric vehicle batteries to creating new value chains from biowaste, these initiatives show how local action can drive systemic change.

Through collaboration between public authorities, businesses, researchers and citizens, cities and regions are proving that circular solutions can be adapted to different territorial contexts and replicated elsewhere. Their experiences offer valuable lessons for other communities looking to accelerate their own transition towards a more resilient, competitive and sustainable future.

Circular bioresources and biowaste valorisation allow cities and regions to transform food waste, agricultural residues and municipal waste into bio-based chemicals, fertilisers and materials. The HOOP project turned the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and urban wastewater sludge into high added-value products beyond compost and biogas.

Meanwhile, Agro2Circular upcycled fruit and vegetable waste into valuable natural ingredients for cosmetics, functional foods and nutraceuticals. TREASoURcE used organic waste from agriculture and food production to create biogas and recycled fertilisers.

In addition, circular value chains can reduce waste and emissions across multiple sectors. FRONTSH1P transformed industrial biowaste into compostable plastics, biostimulants and biolubricants. P2GreeN converted urban sanitary waste into safe bio-based fertilisers for agricultural production.

Finally, local and regional authorities can play a key role in mobilising local stakeholders around shared circular ambitions. ROBIN helped regions build the cooperation frameworks and stakeholder ecosystems needed to accelerate circular bioeconomy action on the ground.

circular economy waste management Horizon Europe Sustainable Cities circular bioeconomy European Green Deal

Venice at a crossroads: why no adaptation strategy can save the city as we know it

An EU-backed study explores different long-term adaptation pathways for Venice under rising seas.

Venice has coexisted with the sea for 1 500 years, but accelerating sea level rise and land subsidence now threaten its very existence. A new study(opens in new window) supported by the EU-funded P2R(opens in new window) and CoCliCo(opens in new window) projects analyses different long-term adaptations for Venice and its lagoon. Published in ‘Scientific Reports’, the findings are stark: no strategy can preserve the city as it is now indefinitely. Instead, adaptation requires accepting fundamental transformation.

The limits of current defences

Venice’s current defences, the MOSE barriers, consist of 78 huge steel gates attached to the seafloor to prevent excessively high tides from entering the lagoon. These mobile barriers cost EUR 6 billion and became operational in 2020. While effective against occasional high waters, they are now being used more and more frequently. Between 2020 and 2025, the barriers closed 108 times; but in just the first two months of 2026, they have already been activated 30 times.

As sea levels rise, the MOSE system risks becoming a semi-permanent seal rather than an occasional shield. Frequent closures would severely disrupt shipping and tourism, alter lagoon ecology, and necessitate massive new infrastructure for sewage treatment and water pumping. Even with supplementary measures such as injecting sea water into the rocks deep underground to reverse subsidence, MOSE’s effectiveness diminishes beyond approximately 1 metre of sea level rise.

Alternatives and trade-offs

The study evaluates progressively radical alternatives. Building a ring of dykes around Venice itself could physically separate the city from the lagoon, potentially becoming necessary by 2100. Estimated costs range between EUR 500 million and EUR 4.5 billion. A more extreme option involves enclosing the entire lagoon within a ‘super levee’ system supported by continuous pumping, capable of withstanding up to 10 metres of sea level rise. However, this approach, costing over EUR 30 billion, would severely compromise the lagoon’s living ecosystem. Beyond 5 metres of sea level rise, projected after 2300, relocation of much of the city and population to safer ground may become the only viable option, with costs reaching up to EUR 100 billion.

However, as study co-authors Robert James Nicholls, Marjolijn Haasnoot and Piero Lionello comment in an article(opens in new window) published in ‘The Conversation’, costs are not the only concern. “How do you even put a price on the cultural value of Venice?” they ask. “Especially as none of these measures will be able to sustain the Venice we see today in the long-term. Adaptation can manage change up to a certain point – beyond that, we are no longer preserving the present. Rather, we are designing a fundamentally different future.”

Critically, the research shows there is no optimal strategy. Each pathway involves trade-offs between residents’ well-being and safety, economic prosperity, the future of the lagoon’s ecosystems, heritage preservation, and the region’s traditions and culture.

Unlike many vulnerable coastal areas that continue attracting development, Venice is engaging in essential long-term planning. However, implementing major interventions such as the ones outlined above can take decades. The implications of the study supported by P2R (Pathways2Resilience: Co-developing pathways towards Climate resilient regions in Europe) and CoCliCo (COASTAL CLIMATE CORE SERVICES) extend beyond Venice. All low-lying coastal regions must recognise the inevitability of long-term sea level rise and begin preparing now.

Climate Change Urban Sustainability sea level rise coastal resilience Venice Lagoon flood protection

Las Rozas joins a new R&D&i project as an urban “living lab” for AI applied to cities

This is the CIRCULINK industrial research project, which aims to develop an intelligent AI‑powered platform to facilitate the efficient use of data and circulareconomy models in the fields of mobility, water, and energy

Las Rozas de Madrid (Madrid Region-Spain) has just joined a new technology research and innovation project. As part of a national consortium, the city will serve as a testing ground to validate the technology developed within the CIRCULINK Project. This initiative involves the development of a digital platform for the intelligent management of resources in urban and industrial environments using Artificial Intelligence.

With CIRCULINK, Las Rozas now has a total of 16 national and international R&D&I projects in which it participates with Las Rozas Innova. The Public Innovation and Technological Development Company of Las Rozas City Council has a dedicated department focused on innovation projects, enabling the city to take advantage of funding opportunities, technological development, and connections with other cities and organisations seeking innovative solutions to shared challenges.

The CIRCULINK project is funded by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism of the Spanish Government through the Support Programme for Innovative Business Clusters (AEI) under the “Climate‑neutral and Smart Cities” challenge,, The project will run for one year. Coordinated by the Smart City Cluster, the project includes participation from the solar‑energy cluster (SOLARTYS), the Automotive and Mobility Cluster of Galicia (CEAGA), Catalan Water Partnership, Foqum, GESOLAB, Go Zero Waste, AVENTEC, and EndeF Engineering.

The city as an urban living lab

In this new R&D&i project, Las Rozas is the only city participating as a testing environment, becoming the urban living lab where the platform’s use cases will be validated. In addition, Las Rozas Innova will collaborate in functional design and identification and definition of applicable scenarios in the field of mobility, with a focus on urban logistics.

Among the use cases proposed by Las Rozas to the consortium, one of the most notable is the exploration of reverse‑logistics models using municipal infrastructure such as public car parks. Through simulation, the city will analyse whether these spaces could serve as strategic points for managing returns and parcel pick‑ups, thus optimising logistics flows and promoting circular economy practices.

Las Rozas' participationin CIRCULINK is carried out through Las Rozas Innova, the Municipal Innovation Company of the City Council, and it is part of the strategy to attract and promote innovation projects in the municipality. This strategy has enabled the city to establish itself as an urban laboratory for innovation and research in Europe, gaining access to cutting‑edge technologies applied to cities.

Smart Cities circular economy R&D Urban Innovation urban mobility AI platform

Skip the RFP: Five Fully Funded City Pilots Available

Launch proven resilience solutions in 90 days — no cost, minimal staff time.

Leading Cities is inviting municipalities worldwide to apply for one of five fully funded, no-cost innovation projects designed to help cities rapidly turn data into action without the delays, costs, or risks of traditional procurement.

Delivered in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative, the AcceliGOV program enables cities to launch proven climate and infrastructure solutions in approximately 90 days, replacing what typically takes 18–24 months through a traditional RFP process.

Each selected city receives:

A fully supported pilot valued at $50,000–$100,000
Implementation support and training
Minimal staff time required

Only five cities (one per project) will be selected, with applications closing June 14, 2026, and deployments beginning in Q3 2026.

From intention to implementation

Cities today collect more data than ever before, yet many struggle to translate that information into decisions that strengthen resilience, improve public services, and protect residents.

AcceliGOV removes the barriers that often stall innovation by handling sourcing, vetting, onboarding, and deployment support in advance, allowing municipalities to focus on outcomes rather than process.

“Cities don’t need another feasibility study. They need solutions that work in the real world,” said Michael Lake, President & CEO of Leading Cities. “We help municipalities test proven technologies quickly and confidently. What usually takes two years can now happen in about three months—at no cost and with minimal effort from staff.”

To date, Leading Cities has 32 projects underway or completed, selected from a global pool of more than 5,000 vetted startups, as part of a commitment to deploy 100 resilience projects in 100 communities by 2030.

Five ready-to-deploy solutions

Each project addresses an existing municipal challenge and is prepared for rapid public-sector deployment:

RCOAST

Pinpoints shoreline erosion and evaluates which protective measures are working, helping coastal communities direct funding where it delivers the greatest impact.

True Flood Risk

Helps emergency managers identify which buildings are most likely to flood, enabling faster response planning and smarter resilience investments before disasters strike.

AquaSave

Detects leaks and inefficiencies in water systems in real time, reducing water and energy waste while generating reliable sustainability metrics and operational savings.

Whats Doing

Surfaces accessibility barriers faced by residents with disabilities, guiding improvements that make public spaces and services more inclusive.

Dosy Bikes

Expands safe mobility options for women across the Middle East and North Africa, while creating green workforce opportunities and reducing transportation-related emissions.

Most projects launch within 90 days and deliver results within three to six months. However, these deployments can evolve and expand as the utility of the solution becomes clear to the community.

In Dargo, Australia, a pilot with WEO helped the community visualize previously undocumented local climate risks, achieving 100% coverage of priority areas within six months through combined satellite analysis and community input. The platform remains in active use today to support ongoing resilience planning.

Innovation without the usual risk

Each deployment includes onboarding, technical support, and performance measurement. Cities are not required to issue an RFP, commit capital funding, or dedicate significant staff time.

“Public-sector teams are stretched thin,” said Katy Southall, Chief of Impact and Innovation at Leading Cities. “We’ve done the heavy lifting, sourcing the solutions, preparing the providers, and structuring the pilots, so cities can focus on impact from day one.”

Apply now

Chief Innovation Officers, Smart City Directors, CIOs, CTOs, Chiefs of Staff, Mayors, and City Managers are encouraged to apply.

Only five municipalities will be selected.

Smart Cities Urban Innovation public sector climate solutions city pilots resilience tech

RESIST Project Begins Work to Reinforce the Resilience of Europe’s Critical Infrastructure

Coordinated by ETRA Investigación y Desarrollo S.A., the initiative brings together thirteen organisations from six EU countries, uniting technology developers, critical infrastructure operators, public bodies and research institutions

Valencia, January 20, 2026 - The consortium behind RESIST, funded under the Horizon Europe Programme with an EU contribution of around €5 million, has officially begun its activities with the ambition of reshaping how Europe monitors, protects and manages its critical infrastructure. Coordinated by ETRA Investigación y Desarrollo S.A., the initiative brings together thirteen organisations from six EU countries, uniting technology developers, critical infrastructure operators, public bodies and research institutions. Running for 30 months, from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2028 and with, RESIST is now fully underway with the launch of its technical, operational and strategic workstreams.

Over the next thirty months, RESIST will work to develop an integrated system capable of anticipating, detecting and assessing natural, accidental or deliberate threats that may endanger critical infrastructures across EU territories such as energy transmission assets, power generation sites, industrial facilities or strategic distribution networks. By merging next-generation technologies with multi-source data, the project aims to significantly improve surveillance, diagnosis and coordination capacities in incident prevention and response.

At the core of the project lies the integration of the Skydweller High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), a high and medium altitude, ultra-persistent and sustainable aerial platform equipped with electro-optical, infrared, LiDAR and AIS sensors. This airborne capability is complemented by optical, infrared and SAR imagery from the Copernicus satellite programme, enabling a broad and continuous view of critical infrastructure and its surroundings. Through advanced analytical tools, AI-based detection, data fusion and risk assessment methods, RESIST will provide timely and reliable information to support prevention, operational decision-making and coordinated crisis management.

The platform is designed to reinforce the operational readiness of crisis managers and infrastructure operators across Europe. It will support the updating of emergency plans, the validation of multi-risk scenarios and the improvement of coordination between authorities and specialised agencies. Thanks to its strong focus on interoperability, the system will be compatible with existing national and European information frameworks, contributing to enhanced cross-border collaboration and more efficient response strategies.

“What truly sets RESIST apart is the way it combines ultra-persistent aerial surveillance, Copernicus satellite data, and AI-driven intelligence into a single operations-focused system. Instead of addressing threats in isolation, RESIST is designed to provide continuous situational awareness, early warnings and actionable intelligence, all validated in real infrastructure environments. This integrated approach represents a significant advance in the way critical infrastructure resilience is conceived and managed at European level.”, ETRA I+D representatives explain.

RESIST’s technological developments will be validated through two real-world demonstrations and one simulated use case. In the Canary Islands, Red Electrica de España will lead advanced monitoring of transmission power lines. In Portugal, CNET Centre For New Energy Technologies SA (EDP CNET) will coordinate the deployment of tools to monitor electricity generation and distribution infrastructure. In Cyprus, the European University Cyprus will conduct a simulated demonstration to assess surveillance of the strategic Vasiliko hydrocarbons site.

The RESIST consortium comprises key actors with the expertise needed to deal with these complex challenges. Alongside ETRA I+D, the project includes leading technology companies such as Skydweller, VODEA, AEROLASER and AIRMO, as well as major critical infrastructure operators and public authorities including Red Eléctrica de España, EDP CNET, Cyprus Civil Defence and the Autonomous Province of Trento. The partnership also involves respected European and academic institutions, among them the European Union Satellite Centre, European University Cyprus, the Parque Tecnológico de Fuerteventura and Fondazione SAFE. This portfolio of expertise ensures that RESIST’s technological advances remain closely aligned with operational needs, security requirements and public policy priorities.

RESIST contributes directly to the objectives of the Horizon Europe Resilient Infrastructure destination, promoting scientific excellence. Additionally, it places a strong emphasis on legal, ethical and security compliance, covering data protection, aviation regulations and emerging EU frameworks on artificial intelligence.

With its integrated approach, RESIST aims to position Europe at the forefront of critical infrastructure protection, delivering advanced and validated technological solutions that reinforce preparedness, enhance operational response and build long-term resilience against an evolving landscape of threats.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Horizon Europe Grant agreement. Nº 101225764.

Security artificial intelligence Horizon Europe Interoperability critical infrastructure aerial surveillance

Back to City-States?

An old idea for an increasingly complex world that could evolve into a hybrid model

In a world shaped by globalization, the climate crisis, and growing distrust of large nation-states, an uncomfortable question is re-emerging: would a system based on city-states work better?

The idea is not new. Athens, Venice, Florence, or the Hanseatic cities showed that autonomous urban centers could become powerful engines of innovation, trade, and culture. Today, megacities such as Singapore, Dubai, London, or Seoul—and many others—operate, in practice, according to a logic close to that of a city-state. Or, more precisely, to what we now call smart cities.

Cities concentrate talent, capital, universities, and technology. They govern closer to citizens, allowing faster decision-making and public policies better aligned with local realities. Compared to nation-states, often slow and bureaucratic, a city-state can experiment, correct mistakes, and adapt with greater agility. Competition between cities would encourage efficiency, innovation, and the attraction of investment.

Moreover, many of today’s major challenges—mobility, housing, energy, digitalization—are essentially urban. Cities already cooperate through international networks, sometimes more effectively than states themselves. A city-state model could reduce territorial tensions and exclusionary nationalisms, replacing them with more open, civic-based identities.

However, this model also carries risks. Not all cities start from the same economic or social position. Fragmentation could increase inequalities between wealthy and poorer territories. Defense, fiscal redistribution, or the management of strategic resources would become more complex without strong state structures.

Perhaps the solution is not to return to the past, but to move toward a hybrid model. Lighter, more cooperative states, combined with highly autonomous cities connected through global networks. Not a world of isolated city-states, but a global ecosystem of smart, responsible, and supportive cities. In the end, the future may belong not to countries, but to cities that know how to govern themselves better.

Manuel Tarín Alonso

www.thesmartcityjournal.com

Smart Cities Urban Governance Urban Innovation city-states decentralization global networks

Making Europe’s critical infrastructures future-proof

The SUNRISE project shows how anomalies in critical infrastructure can be spotted and fixed remotely in major crises, keeping people safe

The EU-funded SUNRISE project has recently tested a variety of remote tools to detect irregularities in critical infrastructure (CI). During the COVID-19 pandemic, CIs across Europe were severely tested, teaching us the importance of future-proofing these structures so necessary for maintaining normalcy in daily life. With this challenge in mind, SUNRISE set out to improve the resilience of Europe’s CIs, including roads, power plants, water treatment facilities and hospitals, against future pandemics and other major risks.

The tools for better resilience

SUNRISE has introduced four innovative tools to enable CI resilience and continuity. These are tools for risk-based access control, resource demand prediction and management, increased cyber-physical resilience and remote physical infrastructure inspection.

The tool for risk-based access control will help reduce the risk of accessing CI in a scalable and privacy-preserving way. The tool for resource demand prediction and management focuses on managing the changing demand of CI resources – both human and infrastructure – during emergencies. The tool for increased cyber-physical resilience will identify anomalies, raise alarms when incidents occur and provide proper responses, in addition to performing a real-time risk assessment of CI. The final tool will enable continuous, data-driven remote inspection of CI.

The project recently piloted its tool for remote physical infrastructure inspection. The tool combines satellite images, unmanned aerial vehicles with different sensors and machine learning methods to uncover CI anomalies. So how would such a tool help in a major crisis? It could detect any problems in CI and fix them without the need for physical human intervention, in this way enhancing people’s safety.

“Piloting the suite of SUNRISE tools in real-world scenarios is a crucial milestone in the project,” states Aljosa Pasic of SUNRISE project coordinator ATOS IT Solutions and Services Iberia, Spain, in a ‘Silicon Republic’ article. “Getting the opportunity to work with critical infrastructure operators across Europe and taking their feedback and inputs on board is extremely valuable as we continue to develop each technological element – in this case the remote infrastructure inspection tool,” he remarks, adding: “We hope that we can take learnings from this round of piloting work into the further development of the remote infrastructure inspection tool.”

As reported in the article, the project has conducted trials in Spain, Italy and Slovenia, with researchers collaborating with transport, water and electricity operators over a period of 2 months. According to Pasic, the trials have helped to highlight the benefits of the project’s tools, such as “saving cost or optimising valuable resources.” SUNRISE (Strategies and Technologies for United and Resilient Critical Infrastructures and Vital Services in Pandemic-Stricken Europe) ends in September 2025.

Revolutionizing Smart Infrastructure: Itron Selects Cumulocity IoT to Expand Smart Utility and City Solutions to More Customers

Companies to expand access to Lightweight M2M as a standard protocol for enhanced performance in low-power, low-bandwidth, and cellular-connected scenarios

Software AG today announced that Itron has selected Cumulocity IoT to expand its advanced utility and city management capabilities to more customers, particularly in low-power, low-bandwidth, or cellular-connected scenarios. The collaboration will achieve this by broadening the adoption of Lightweight M2M (LwM2M) – an open protocol designed for IoT – to facilitate a structured, vendor-neutral framework for device data integration and lifecycle management.

“By combining Itron’s expertise in intelligently connected networks, software, services, meters and sensors with Software AG’s proven Cumulocity IoT platform, we can better deliver dependable city and utility services even in areas with intermittent connectivity and limited access to power sources,” said Ty Roberts, Itron’s vice president of marketing and networked solutions.

LwM2M, an open standard protocol developed by the Open Mobile Alliance, offers a tailored, cost-effective approach to managing IoT devices in the utility industry, particularly for low-powered devices or devices connected via low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies, like smart streetlights, or smart gas and water meters. Smart cities and utilities can leverage the protocol by embracing industry standards to optimize their operations, improve efficiencies, and drive innovation. Its lightweight footprint enables a scalable and standardized approach to device management, ensuring efficient and cost-effective transmission of telemetry data to the cloud.

“Itron’s experience and market reach make it an exemplary company to collaborate with to advance LwM2M adoption,” said Ricky Singh, Software AG’s vice president of IoT, Americas. “By leveraging LwM2M through Cumulocity, one of the few full-featured commercial IoT platforms that support the protocol, Itron can connect and manage more devices and enable more use cases for its customers in a modern, scalable, and cost-effective way.”

The integration of LwM2M with the Cumulocity IoT Platform marks an important step in the evolution of IoT solution development and device management. This technology supports plug-and-play integration, over-the-air firmware updates for remote management, and an intuitive interface, making it suitable for a wide range of industries including telecommunications, automotive, security, utilities, and manufacturing. Cumulocity stands as the only full-featured, cloud-agnostic, hybrid commercial IoT platform in the industry leader quadrant, offering mature support for LwM2M.

Digital twin services, Aqualabo and Kerlink demonstrate LoRaWAN® system to monitor seawater quality in Mauritius

Providing government agencies and water-science specialists access to continuous data on key water-quality parameters

A custom-designed Internet of Things (IoT) LoRaWAN®-based solution deployed in Mauritius is providing government agencies and water-science specialists access to continuous data on key water-quality parameters.

The monitoring system, a proof of concept retained as part of the government-funded Blue Resilience innovation program, was designed and installed by Digital Twin Services (DTS), a Mauritian technology solutions provider specialized in Industry 4.0 solutions. DTS is integrating products from two French IoT companies, Aqualabo – a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of a wide range of water analysis and testing devices and instruments – and Kerlink (AKLK – FR0013156007) – a specialist in solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT).

On July 25, 2020, a Japanese bulk carrier called MW Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef southeast of Mauritius, near Pointe d'Esny, a wildlife sanctuary in the India Ocean. It released more than 1,000 tons of fuel oil into the crystal-clear waters of the island, and formed an oil spill on the coast of the archipelago.

The spill caused the worst maritime pollution in the history of Mauritius, which depends heavily on its waters for its food security and ecotourism. Moreover, it is an area that has some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. The southeast coast of Mauritius includes Pointe d’Esny, rich in mangroves, and Blue Bay, known for its coral reefs and classified under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Following the spill, the government launched the Blue Resilience program, which was a call for innovative proposals to better equip Mauritian authorities to manage the island’s “Blue Economy” and its resources.

The success of this proof-of-concept laid the foundation for setting up an island-wide, IoT real-time online monitoring system for seawater quality, as described in the Mauritian government’s request for proposals issued in February 2022. The project includes the appointment of a consulting firm to guide authorities on the establishment of an IoT-based Lagoon Water Quality Index (LWQI). This will, in turn, promote the maintenance and management of beaches to support the local economy through increasing tourism and related business activities. It also will provide officials with a continuous outlook on the quality of beaches by ranking beach water quality as “excellent”, “good”, “fair” or “bad”.

The first site of the pilot project was installed in October 2021 in Pointe aux Feuilles on the east coast of the island, and a second pilot site is expected to be deployed in the coming months in Albion on the west coast.

The pilot monitoring installation uses several stand-alone communicating modules from Aqualabo's AquaMod range, digital sensors consisting of a stand-alone LoRaWAN® wireless waterproof module and an antenna, such as:

OPTOD Titanium, for measuring dissolved oxygen and temperature,
NTU sensor, for measuring turbidity,
C4E sensor for measuring conductivity and salinity,
PHEHT sensor for measuring pH,
EHAN sensors for measuring redox potential, and
A HYDROCLEAN system for automatic cleaning of systems for the oxygen and turbidity sensors along the coral reefs.

“The integration of the complete end-to-end solution was simple and quick, via the use of a private LoRa^TM Network Server (LNS),” said Aqualabo CMO Severine Goulette. “Aqualabo’s sensors and devices ensure 24/7 monitoring to analyze key water-quality parameters for the continuous efforts to save the coral reef and improve the overall water quality.”

“The quick and simple installation of this pilot project has underscored LoRaWAN’s reliability, versatility, and suitability for this kind of seawater-monitoring project, which is one of our primary objectives as an island nation. We were very confident with the proposed solution thanks to the products and expertise of our partners Aqualabo and Kerlink,” said Johan Venkatasawmy, CEO of Digital Twin Services in Mauritius.

“Kerlink’s Wirnet™ iStations have shown their robustness, performance, and flexibility worldwide to support LoRaWAN®-powered wildlife and natural-resource protection projects in very diverse environments,” said Benjamin Maury, Kerlink’s head of international partnerships. “Collaborating with Digital Twin Services and Aqualabo in this vital project to help preserve Mauritius’s pristine setting is another strong example of Kerlink’s commitment to protect the environment.”