Advanced sensors for real-time urban water quality monitoring
AQUAMON introduces a new generation of smart sensors designed to measure the full spectrum of pollutants across the urban water cycle. These technologies deliver real-time, high-frequency data directly from the field, allowing rapid detection of contamination before it spreads. The system includes miniaturised lab-on-chip devices that analyse nutrients, metals, emerging contaminants such as PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and key indicators like chlorine and dissolved organic carbon.
For microbiological safety, AQUAMON deploys IoT-enabled analysers capable of quantifying E. coli, Enterococci and other microorganisms within minutes—far faster and more accurately than traditional lab-based methods. Additional innovations include microplastic detection through impedance analysis, machine-learning-enhanced UV spectroscopy for complex pollution events such as stormwater overflows, and fibre-optic temperature sensing to identify hidden sewer connections or leakages.
Together, these sensing solutions form a dense monitoring network that captures chemical, biological and physical data at unprecedented resolution. This continuous data stream forms the foundation for all predictive analytics and decision-making across the project.
AI analytics, Digital Twins and decision support for holistic water management
To turn raw measurements into meaningful insights, AQUAMON integrates sensor and robotic data into a powerful multimodal analytics environment. A suite of explainable AI (XAI) models interprets this data to forecast sewer flows, predict bathing-water quality, and conduct microbial and chemical risk assessments relevant to drinking water, wastewater and water reuse.
A central component is the AQUAMON 4D Digital Twin—a dynamic virtual replica of the entire urban water network. This environment merges real-time measurements, simulation models and historical datasets to visualise current conditions, explore scenarios, and support fast, informed responses to pollution events or infrastructure failures.
Security and accessibility are strengthened through blockchain-based data integrity, extended-reality (XR) tools for immersive inspection and training, and natural-language interfaces that let users interact with the system intuitively.Together, these innovations transform complex environmental data into actionable intelligence for utilities, regulators and decision-makers, enabling a safer, more resilient and more sustainable water future.
Autonomous robotics for surface, underwater and aerial monitoring
AQUAMON significantly expands monitoring capabilities by integrating autonomous robotics that operate on water surfaces, underwater environments, and in the air. These robotic platforms make it possible to collect high-quality data in locations that are difficult, dangerous, or costly to access manually.
Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) conduct rapid bathymetric surveys, sub-surface profiling, and automated water sampling, mapping pollution plumes and monitoring treatment processes in real time. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), equipped with advanced hovering and inspection features, provide detailed views of submerged structures and contamination hotspots, blending the benefits of both autonomous and remotely operated systems.
From above, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with multi-spectral and hyperspectral imaging offer broad spatial coverage for detecting surface pollution, tracking runoff dynamics, and monitoring ecosystem health.
A coordinated control system ensures that all robotic units work together efficiently—optimising path planning, ensuring full coverage of target areas, and adapting to changing conditions. This robotic ecosystem dramatically improves spatial and temporal monitoring resolution across rivers, lakes, coastal zones, sewer networks and treatment facilities.