When climate, water, and urban data start working together

Interview conducted by Kalina Tsvetanova

“Cities often struggle to respond effectively to floods, heatwaves, and water stress because the data they rely on is fragmented across different organisations and systems.”

This challenge is at the heart of the Geo4Water pilot, part of the European DS4SSCC initiative, which brings together Valencia and San Javier (Spain), Oslo (Norway), and Donegal (Ireland) to explore how cross-border data spaces can support climate resilience and water management.

The pilot focuses on integrating geospatial, climate, and environmental datasets to help cities better monitor and respond to extreme water-related climate events, including heavy rainfall, flooding, storms, and heatwaves. By combining information that is normally managed separately, the pilot aims to support earlier detection of risks and more informed urban decision-making.

At the centre of the pilot is a familiar problem: valuable data already exists, but it is often difficult to combine across sectors and organisations. Weather agencies, municipalities, water authorities, and environmental organisations all collect important information, yet these datasets are rarely connected in a structured and interoperable way.

Geo4Water responds by creating a shared data space. Rather than centralising information into a single platform, each organisation decides what data to share and under which conditions. This allows cities to build a more complete picture of how water behaves across different urban and environmental systems, especially during extreme climate events.

For the pilot, the starting point is not technology alone. “The first step is to clearly define a concrete problem or challenge that data sharing could help address.” Understanding which decisions would benefit from better data integration, as well as mapping existing stakeholders and responsibilities, creates the foundation for a useful and scalable data space.

The pilot is currently in the implementation stage. After defining use cases across the four pilot sites and aligning international stakeholders, the project is now focused on building data integration pipelines and refining dashboards for public authorities. Moving from the initial concept to a functioning pilot took approximately 12 to 15 months and required coordination across technical, organisational, and governance levels.

Before Geo4Water, participating cities already had experience with digital and data-driven services. Valencia, for example, used its Smart City platform and Geoportal, while Oslo, San Javier, and Donegal relied on sector-specific systems. However, data from external organisations such as river basin authorities or meteorological institutes was still accessed separately and lacked interoperability across domains and borders.

The pilot now works to extend these existing infrastructures through more connected and collaborative data sharing.

Several concrete tools and services are already being developed through the Geo4Water Data Space. These include AI-driven analytical dashboards that monitor city infrastructure during heavy rainfall, map water pollution, assess urban resilience, and evaluate building damage using Earth Observation data. In Valencia, for example, the pilot integrates data from the Albufera natural lagoon with urban water flows and reservoir levels to better understand water demand and environmental conditions.

Looking ahead, the Geo4Water data space is expected to become an important component of future urban resilience and water governance strategies by enabling trusted data sharing across borders.

One important lesson already stands out: “Data space projects are most valuable when they reinforce and progressively enhance existing municipal services, rather than operating as standalone pilots.” By integrating new data flows and analytics into tools that cities already use, the pilot helps embed innovation into day-to-day operations and supports long-term continuity.

Curious to learn more about the Pilots? Read here 

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