Protecting Our Water: Real-time Monitoring with Cutting-Edge Space Tech
Adapted from Krucial news
Access to clean, reliable water is increasingly under pressure. Growing demand, climate-driven variability and pollution continue to strain river basins that billions rely on. Deep Planet recently joined Krucial, the CEO Water Mandate’s Water Resilience Coalition, ESA, and partners to complete a major project demonstrating how satellite data, resilient communications and AI can transform real-time water monitoring at scale.
Delivering an End-to-End Monitoring System
The completed project developed and validated an integrated, space-enabled water-resilience monitoring solution, with the aim to deploy this for the world’s 100 most-populated river basins — a network that sustains more than 3 billion people.
The system brings together:
Satellite imagery and AI analytics provided by Deep Planet
Ground-based IoT sensors and weather data
Krucial’s hybrid space–terrestrial communications, enabling data mobility from even the most remote areas
Advanced data fusion and analysis powered by SAS
This end-to-end platform demonstrated how continuous insights on water availability and water quality can be delivered efficiently to policymakers, scientists, businesses, and basin authorities.
What We Measured
Using satellite imagery and machine learning, the project successfully detected and monitored:
Salinity and sediment
Shoreline change
Hydrocarbons
Essential minerals (N, P, K, Mg, Cu, Fe, As, Ba, Mn)
Chlorides and sodium
The approach supports rapid assessment of water stress, pollution events, and environmental change—critical inputs for digital twins of global river basins.
Impact for Water-Dependent Sectors
With the system now validated, the technology is positioned to support:
Agriculture & aquaculture, helping monitor water quality, drought risks and environmental shifts
Government agencies and basin management authorities, enabling targeted interventions
Businesses and industries, supporting sustainable water use
Communities, improving resilience in areas facing water scarcity or pollution
The project also lays foundational building blocks for digital twins of river basins—offering a dynamic, data-rich representation of water systems under changing climate conditions.
Deep Planet’s Contribution
Deep Planet applied its satellite-driven AI models to deliver granular insights on water quality, sediment, and shoreline dynamics. Our platform interpreted multi-sensor space data to support real-time detection and risk modelling—demonstrating how geospatial intelligence can meaningfully contribute to global water stewardship.
A Collaborative Effort
The project was delivered by a consortium led by Krucial, supported by:
SAS
Deep Planet
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)
University of Strathclyde
With additional support from Jacobs, Clean International, and Lovexair Foundation, and funding from the European Space Agency’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) Programme.
Voices from the Project
Allan Cannon, Co-Founder & CEO, Krucial:
“Without access to the insights that our combined solution provides, it is impossible to take the necessary steps to tackle water stress… We have the chance to achieve something truly transformative for the planet.”
Cheryl Hicks, Senior Adviser, CEO Water Mandate:
“Digitizing information about the health of water basins provides the opportunity to exponentially advance our work on water stewardship.”
Jason Mann, VP of IoT, SAS:
“This innovative project… will leverage AI and advanced analytics to help local leaders make better decisions on managing vital freshwater resources.”
David Carter, Co-Founder & CEO, Deep Planet:
“We founded Deep Planet to use machine learning to address environmental risk. We’re excited to bring our satellite and AI capabilities to help transform water insights for custodians and users adapting to the changing climate.”
Academic partners added:
This work represents a step-change in understanding global freshwater systems and highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in tackling climate-driven water challenges.
Looking Ahead
With the pilot project successfully completed, the consortium’s work now serves as a blueprint for how space-enabled monitoring can be deployed across global river basins. The validated approach offers scalable pathways for improving water resilience, informing climate adaptation strategies, and guiding sustainable use of one of the planet’s most precious resources.
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