The CEO Water Mandate—a partnership between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute—and the European Space Agency (ESA) today announced significant progress in their joint initiative to leverage space technologies and innovative digital tools for advancing water security and resilience.
The “Digitising Water Resilience in Basins” initiative addresses the urgent global challenge of insufficient data and shared understanding of freshwater resources, including water stress, quality, and accessibility.
A Digital Platform for Water-Stressed Basins
As part of its goal to achieve positive water impact in 100 priority basins by 2030, the CEO Water Mandate is leading the development of a cutting-edge digital monitoring platform for 100 of the world’s most water-stressed basins. The platform aims to provide actionable insights into water basin conditions, helping businesses track their contributions to water resilience goals.
Milestones in the CEO Water Mandate-ESA Partnership
During COP28 in December 2023, the partnership announced the selection of its first cohort of projects, marking a transformative step in utilising space technologies, digital innovation, and IoT to enhance water basin monitoring. Over the past 18 months, these projects have yielded breakthrough results, providing:
- Comprehensive data sets tracking changes in water levels over time and into the future.
- Detailed water quality measurements and pollution source identification.
- Climate impact modelling to predict future basin conditions.
Expert Perspectives
Davide Coppola, Head of Space Applications Initiatives at ESA, emphasised the transformative potential of this collaboration:
“I am delighted to see the initial outcomes of this initiative, confirming how space technologies, combined with digital tools and IoT, can illuminate water stress drivers and intervention impacts—even in the most remote regions. Our collaboration with the CEO Water Mandate and WRC unlocks new opportunities for cross-sectoral cooperation and innovative business models, paving the way for far-reaching socio-economic benefits.”
Jason Morrison, Head of the CEO Water Mandate and President of the Pacific Institute, highlighted the importance of space technology in water management:
“This partnership with ESA is revolutionising access to water-related data. By integrating satellite observations with innovative technologies, we are opening new frontiers in understanding and protecting freshwater resources worldwide.
Key Achievements (2023–2024)
The partnership has achieved several milestones:
- Funding Support: ESA allocated €1.5 million to fund eight feasibility studies using satellite data and digital monitoring tools to create detailed diagnostics and impact assessments for selected basins.
- Global Reach: Projects span 13 countries, including Colombia, India, Kenya, Morocco, and the US, setting the stage to expand to 100 priority basins.
- Corporate Engagement: CEO Water Mandate member companies actively contributed to pilot projects, aligning efforts with NPWI monitoring goals.
- Pilot Project Partners: Eight European companies—Agreed Earth, CLS, Development Seed, eLeaf-52impact, EOMAP, eRay, Krucial, and Marple—participated in pilot projects, showcasing scalable solutions.
Future Development: Plans for expanded corporate support and additional projects are underway.
A Transformative Future for Water Resilience
The CEO Water Mandate-ESA partnership represents a groundbreaking step toward global water resilience. By combining space-based observations with digital tools, the initiative is advancing efforts to protect water sources and ensure water security for future generations.