CANBERRA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Australian technology will be used to monitor water quality in the United Kingdom (UK) from space.
Australia's national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), on Thursday announced its AquaWatch system will be adapted to deliver water quality monitoring on a national scale in the UK.
Launched in 2023, AquaWatch uses an extensive network of Earth observation satellites and ground-based water sensors to provide near real-time updates and predictive forecasting on water quality.
It has previously been used to monitor Australian bays, rivers, lakes and parts of the Great Barrier Reef.
On Thursday it was deemed a supported project under the existing UK-Australia Space Bridge initiative, which will provide funding to advance the system in Australia and establish it in the UK.
"It's a system we're developing for Australia, but that can be adapted for other countries in need of national near-real time updates and forecasts," Alex Held, AquaWatch Mission lead at the CSIRO, said in a media release.
"The importance of high-quality satellite data for AquaWatch means that global collaborations such as this help to enhance the system for everyone."
AquaWatch applies artificial intelligence and modeling systems to the raw data collected by satellites and sensors to act as a weather service for water quality.
Following a successful trial in South Australia in December, the CSIRO said the technology could be used to boost the productivity of seafood farms by providing early warnings of harmful marine events such as algal blooms.
Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, said on Thursday that AquaWatch is an example of how space technology can help address major global challenges. ■
