WATCH: project will connect SIGNALS FROM WASTEWATER WITH THE REALITY OF CITIES

Can wastewater reveal when an epidemic, environmental burden or security risk threatens? The WATCH project – Society in the Mirror of Water – answers yes. A unique platform will be created in Slovakia that connects universities, research institutes, security forces and technological partners. We are among them.

Wastewater as a source of valuable data on the state of the population and the environment

The WATCH project is based on the idea that wastewater contains reliable clues about what is happening in the population – from the occurrence of viruses and bacteria to drugs, pharmaceuticals and micropollutants to environmental threats. The key is the use of artificial intelligence, which cleans, connects and interprets this data. The WATCH project will create new technologies – the AI ​​platform SEWAGE MIND, the digital twin of cities CitySenseAI, the interactive DATA-CUBE, as well as new biosensors and LIDAR air measurements.

WATCH has the potential to put Slovakia on the map of countries building modern data-driven public health infrastructure. It is a project that can transcend borders and offer solutions for international metropolises as well.

Says Radovan Sunega, Director of Research and Innovation Projects: “We are becoming part of a groundbreaking project. For the first time in Slovakia, we are creating a system that will show in real time what is happening in wastewater, air, and cities.”

YMS enters the project as a key data integrator and creator of visualization tools: connecting and standardizing data from laboratories, sensors, and analytical platforms, creating an interactive map of measurement results, developing a digital twin of cities for risk modeling, and implementing AI tools into practice.

What can we say before work on the project begins: Radovan Sunega answers

What do you consider to be the biggest challenge of the IT part of the WATCH project even before it starts?

“So far, the biggest challenge seems to be preparing a unified data environment for very diverse types of data – from laboratory results from wastewater to sensors, LIDAR measurements to data from digital twins of cities. Each source has a different format, a different frequency, a different accuracy. Our task, as a technology partner, is to set standards, data flows and a secure architecture so that the entire system works reliably from day one. It is complex, but at the same time very exciting, because we are creating a foundation on which the entire country can later build.”

What value will YMS bring to the project in the initial stages?

“YMS is entering the project as a partner with many years of experience with data platforms, geoinformatics and analytical tools. From the first months, we have been focusing on education in the professional topics and domains that are the subject of the project in order to best fulfill our tasks in the areas of data architecture design, integration interfaces and visualization tools. In other words, we want to bring the latest technologies so that all partners can securely share their data, process it and later build analytical models or predictive algorithms on it.”

What will be the benefit of the project for the cities and the state when it is successfully completed?

“The project will create intelligent tools for cities and the state – a system that can warn of health, environmental or security risks in a timely manner. In practice, this means faster decision-making in crisis situations, better planning and a clear overview of what is happening in the area. It is important for us that these solutions are built on real data, not estimates. And this is precisely what can significantly improve the measures we can use to increase the quality of life in our and European regions in the future.”