The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) is advancing new digital technologies within the ToDrinQ project to improve water-quality monitoring and help drinking water operators respond more effectively to emerging risks.
Through its Urban Water Management and Hydroinformatics Group, NTUA is contributing to the development of soft sensors, artificial intelligence tools and an integrated monitoring platform. These technologies are designed to transform information from physical sensors, satellite observations and other data sources into practical insights for water operators.
Monitoring Lake Yliki from a wider perspective
Lake Yliki, the Athens demonstration case has played a central role in the research progress as these provide valuable information for the necessary collected samples. Water quality, however, can vary across the surface of a lake and change in response to weather, runoff and other environmental pressures.
To address this limitation, advanced unmanned surface vehicles have been deployed at Lake Yliki. Equipped with sensors, these vehicles measure turbidity, temperature and dissolved oxygen, while also collecting water samples.The information gathered combines satellite imagery, Earth-observation data, deep-learning algorithms and hydrological models.
The tools have been developed to
- Estimate chlorophyll-a
- Water’s pH
- An overall Water Quality Index.
- Assess the probability of algal bloom events across different parts of the lake
This represents a significant improvement over monitoring based only on individual sampling points. Instead of providing a snapshot of one location, the digital approach can help build a more complete picture of water-quality conditions across the reservoir.
These developments aim to create individual sensors and algorithms, while also connecting technologies in a system that strengthens monitoring, supports treatment decisions and contributes to cleaner and more resilient water supplies.
