In this morning’s meeting about business financing for R+D, in the head-office of the ITG (Technological Institute of Galicia) in A Coruña, showed the results of SABIUS and WaterSIG, two innovative proposals in the field of water, promoted by Galician businesses and the ITG within the framework of ConectaPeme grants by the Xunta de Galicia (local government).
The technological solutions provided by SABIUS and WaterSIG, address how they approach the management of water cycles, from a global perspective
They are the result of cooperation projects in R+D between the ITG and Galician businesses with the help of ConectaPeme grants of the Galician Agency for Innovation (GAIN)
SABIUS’s solution, or Advance Low-Cost System with nano-biosensors for the safety of bathwaters, is the result of the collaboration between Balidea, Indrops, Proyfe, CYE Control and Studies, and the ITG. The programm counted with a budget of more than 700,000€, co-financed by the FEDER funds (from the EU) and GAIN. It tackles the problem of quality control of bathwaters, eliminating the need to handle samples and transport them to laboratories, thanks to the development of an inexpensive portable device, capable of carrying out microbiological tests in situ, as well as an information system that improves its management.
On the other hand, the results of the WaterSIG project (Integrated Management of Water Services and health hazards under BigData and Deployment of parallel strategies) were presented by representatives of Proyfe, CYE Control and Studies, Torusware and the ITG, who were also responsible for its development. WaterSIG’s information system combines different BigData technologies to approach the problems of the drinking and sanitary water networks, such as behavioural modelling, large scale monitoring or identification of specific risk factors.
This meeting was attended by Elena Polo Prieto of GAIN, who described in detail the available funds and grants for innovation purposes, made by the Xunta de Galicia.
Solutions for Water Resource Management
During the past 10 years, the ITG has been working on the development of solutions to ensure better water quality, anticipating problems such as eutrophication, facilitating the prevention of water-loss in drinking-water distribution networks, and integrating water management through land planning and organization. Several of these solutions have received the approval of Government and businesses; such is the case of SANePLAN, an information system for the improvement of planning and sanitary management, which is currently carried out in four trial places in Galicia and Italy, such project received last week a prize from the Association of environmental Enterprises of Galicia (APROEMA). It also received the acknowledgement from the OCDE (Organization for Development and Economic Cooperation) and was chosen as the only example of good practices in the category coherence in water, environment, health, energy, industry, planning and land reorganization policies by coordinated efficient and transverse efforts.
In addition to SANePLAN the WIZ, technology, which allows better drinking water management through a practical and transparent information system, received the acknowledgement of the European Program LIFE (“Best of the Best” project). The intelligent water meter WETNET, technology, which allows better drinking water management through a practical and transparent information system, received the acknowledgement of the European Program LIFE (“Best of the Best” project). The intelligent water meter
The ITG is the leader of AQUAMUNDAM, a European project for the hydrological planning and efficiency in drinking water and sanitation distribution networks in 12 small townships in Spain and Portugal, for them to manage their infrastructures, know their exploitation costs and the possible hazards, in real-time, using technological solutions for bigger cities.