A "Digital Twin" to Manage the Water Cycle

The Research institute for geo-hydrological protection of the Italian National Research Council has contributed to the development of a virtual model of the Earth’s water cycle. It will be used to optimise the management of water resources and the mitigation of water-related natural disasters. The platform, created as part of the “Digital Twin Earth Hydrology” project, financed by the European Space Agency, is described in Frontiers in Science.

The international study is coordinated by the Research institute for geo-hydrological protection of the National Research Council in Perugia (Cnr-Irpi). It describes the development of an innovative virtual model that, for the first time, replicates the water cycle on Earth by integrating high-resolution satellite observations.

The model was created within the “Digital Twin Earth Hydrology” project. A team of 11 scientific partners from all over Europe contributed to it, including, in Italy, the University of Bologna, as well as the Universities of Perugia and Genoa.

The platform currently focuses on one specific case study, namely the Earth’s water cycle in the Mediterranean basin. To create it, huge amounts of satellite data were used, combining Earth observation information ranging from soil moisture to precipitation and from evaporation to river discharge and snow depth.

A "digital twin" is a virtual model of a physical object that can be tested until destruction without causing real damage. A "digital twin" of the Earth, constantly updated with new data, could therefore simulate best and worst-case scenarios, assess risks, and track the development of dangerous conditions before they occur.