Surface Water Integrated Monitoring

There is an urgent need for community owned and low-cost environmental monitoring solutions, particularly in the Amazon, where Indigenous communities are stewards and custodians of vast and very biodiverse areas.

Building on ground-breaking research undertaken within UK Space Agency funded projects, The Open University has developed a framework for a wetland monitoring system using ground data, satellite remote sensing, and drone surveillance for malaria vector control and surface water detection.

The new Surface Water Integrated Monitoring (SWIM) project - led by Dr Alessandra Marino, Senior Research Fellow In International Development within Astrobiology - will enable safer, cheaper, water sampling through use of a prototype unmanned surface water vehicle, called ‘FLOAT’. FLOAT development will help expand innovation in environmental data gathering and monitoring, supported by a DIY kit and in situ training. 

Community involvement in creation, deployment and training will be crucial, with Indigenous researchers involved at each stage. Our ultimate goal is for integration of all data into one environmental information system, that enables full control by our partner communities, which can feed into landscape management plans.

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Get in touch

Email Gillian Hosier or call on 01908 858285 to discuss this project