ZETA AMALTEA is part of the consortium of the FREEWAT project of the Horizon 2020 of the European Union (2015-2017).
FREEWAT will promote the management and planning of water use through the simplification of the Water Framework Directive and other directives of the European Union related to water. FREEWAT will be an open source and public domain platform that will integrate within a Geographic Information System (GIS) several simulation models of the quantity and quality of water in surface and groundwater, with specific modules for integrated management and planning of the use of water.
The FREEWAT consortium is made up of institutions from 10 EU countries, as well as Turkey, Ukraine and UNESCO. The consortium includes prestigious universities, research centers and companies such as ZETA AMALTEA.
The specific objectives of FREEWAT are:
Use previous results of European and national projects related to water management.
Carry out pilot applications of the FREEWAT platform, bringing together technicians and relevant stakeholders, in a participatory environment, to design scenarios of appropriate applications of EU water policy.
The FREEWAT project will initiate a process to reduce the gap between the EU and the United States on the standardization of tools and computer models for water management, creating a recognizable and emblematic European initiative in this regard.
By creating a common environment among researchers, developers, administrations and policy makers of the environment, FREEWAT should significantly impact the application of scientific criteria for decision making in the management of water resources, through participatory processes.
ZETA AMALTEA will execute one of the pilot applications or “case studies” of FREEWAT. Our consultancy will use the tools developed by FREEWAT to help the implementation of the Nitrate Directive in a Zone declared vulnerable to nitrate contamination. The FREEWAT simulation tools will allow us to estimate the effect of agricultural practices on diffuse water pollution.
The application of FREEWAT in our case study should estimate the effectiveness of the “Good Practice Codes” and the Action Programs regarding the Nitrate Directive. The results will be shared with authorities and other personnel interested in the implementation of the Nitrates Directive, through a participatory process, within a “Focal Group” on the Nitrates Directive, which ZETA AMALTEA will lead.
