Catalan Water Information System

Water resources management, compliance and related risk assessment.

Challenge

The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) runs several water monitoring networks providing hydraulic, hydrological, meteorological and environmental data. These networks automatically record a large volume of data that needs to be stored in a reliable and centralised system.

ACA required an easily-accessible system to boost transparency, informing citizens about the Agency’s activities and how the management of public resources is carried out. The system needed to reduce costs and time involved in preparing and accessing information, avoiding lengthy searches of multiple sources.

In short, ACA wanted a network that safeguarded water for the environment and developed a water-saving culture that was easily available to its citizens. Our solution involved empowering hydrological planning, water-related risks prevention, water quality monitoring, water consumption management at seasonal mass tourist destinations, preservation of wetlands, water reuse and more.

ADASA’s Solution

ADASA designed a system that integrates, centralises and permanently stores all the environmental parameter measurements from river basins across Catalonia, backed by high-availability of data.

Named SIX after its initials in Catalan — Networks Information System in English — SIX has evolved during the recent years, acquiring extra analytical functionalities, with new information sources and a widening spectrum of users.

The system incorporates phenomenological data related to surface, groundwater and coastal waters. This includes automatic and manual data provided by gauging stations and direct observations on chemical and biological quality and weather data. The data is generated by the Agency or by third parties, including water utilities (urban and bulk water), and includes data validation capabilities.

SIX utilises Business Intelligence reporting, dashboards and analytics to offer people simple access to information via its user-friendly web and mobile applications.

Result

SIX is currently used by hundreds of internal users and more than 30 external bodies. The historical archive allows fast and efficient access to hundreds of millions of records, dating back to 1913. At the click of a mouse, it delivers a bird's-eye view of river systems along with information on river flows, dam storage levels, water availability and weather outlook. ACA's staff can now see, in real-time, precisely what is happening in any major river valley in Catalonia.

Graphics to aid decision-making are available alongside water consumption scenarios in ordinary conditions and simulated drought management, based on metrics and indicators. Managers have comprehensive ecological and chemical status reports at their fingertips, from trends of surface water bodies to the chemical and quantitative status of groundwater bodies, all following the European Water Framework Directive mandate.

Overall, SIX delivered more transparent, accessible and easily understood information on how Catalonia's water supply is managed, and for whom.

Client

Created in the year 2000, The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) is the Catalan government’s public water company. ACA is in charge of Catalonia’s water planning and management, adhering to the basic principles of the Water Framework Directive.

ACA promotes its action plan to guarantee present and future water supplies as well as water quality —groundwater and surface — at source and guarantee the sustainable use of water resources in Catalonia. Its plan also requires wastewater treatment at its plus-500 water treatment plants currently in service, and the protection and conservation of water bodies and associated ecosystems.