The Internet of Water (IoW) Short general project overviewSolution for challenge in the target countryWater scarcity is a global growing problem, and lack of water has potentially a major socio-economic impact. Even in our surrounding countries such as Belgium, this problem is at play. The damage from the 2017 drought declared as an agricultural disaster is estimated at 60 million euro in West Flanders, Belgium. The dry summer of 2018 has also been declared an agricultural disaster and climate change will continue this trend in the coming years and there is a demand for a structural solution. Water scarcity has the side effect of salinisation of surface water. In West-Flanders, critical salt values were exceeded in 2017, resulting in a lack of drinking water for livestock, lower yields in fruit farming, massive fish mortality in the Baudouin Canal, and as a secondary consequence leaching nitrate to ground and surface water. Current measurement systems are too expensive because samples are taken on site that are analysed afterwards, and therefore too small-scale, and the results are not immediately (real-time) available.The IMEC Netherlands Foundation has developed an innovation in water quality sensor technology to measure more effectively and cheaply. Existing ion-sensitive electrodes, for example, that measure salinisation (by conduction), pH or specifically salinity (such as nitrate) into liquids, are integrated on a small chip of only 1 cm2. On the chip, multiple electrodes are placed with which different parameters can be measured at the same time. The sensor is produced in a way that makes computer chips, dramatically reducing the size (less than 1 cm2) and costs. This low-cost sensor, deployed in a dense network, using the latest radio standards, massive real-time data storage in the cloud combined with hydrological models and artificial intelligence, enables a "shower radar" for water quality: "The Internet of Water".Initial activities and results of the projectActivities within the pilot project The consortium partners develop and install a first small-scale but representative sensor network (20 to 30 sensors) to collect and use the measurements of these sensors over a longer period of time to develop a visualization of water quality including modelling for prediction water quality by self-learning algorithms. This makes it possible to steer water flows faster and better on water quality, and to proactively manage water resources. In concrete terms, in the pilot area 1) the quality of intake water for a sparing basin is monitored in real-time so that the intake can be controlled more effectively 2) quantitatively determined the impact of effluent discharges on the surface water 3) the composition of overflow water measured in real-time what is of paramount importance in assessing the impact on the watercourse and, on this basis, to propose and prioritize adjustments to the sewage system. The technology is tested in this pilot for an area in West-Flanders, and is scalable to the whole of Flanders. In addition, the sensor technology is used in treatment plants, in particular innovative desalination plants.Expected results are proof of feasibility of installation of the sensors and operation of the electronics over a longer period (6 to 24 months) to generate an uninterrupted data flow of high-quality water quality information that enables insight and modelling of water quality. By availability of this data, new (automated) applications for water management will be made possible.