HYDR

The CHARM project (Chalk Aquifer Management) is a 3-year collaboration between VUB, KWR and De Watergroep. The Chalk Aquifer is a strategic drinking water source in Flanders. 22% of drinking water produced by De Watergroep is pumped from this aquifer. Our knowledge of this aquifer is rather limited: hydraulic parameters are only known at sparse locations and are strongly spatially variable. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to identify all possible sources of uncertainty, so that the capacity of this aquifer can be assessed. Based on the results of the uncertainty analysis, a management tool will be developed so that founded decisions can be made for the quantitative use of this aquifer for drinking water purposes.

Contact: Marijke Huysmans, Gert Ghysels and Syed Md. Touhidul Mustafa.

Partners: VUB, De Watergroep, KWR

The CIREG project (Climate Information for Integrated Renewable Electricity Generation) focuses on climate services to estimate current and future renewable energy (RE) potential in West Africa (solar, wind & hydro). VUB leads WP III of the project in which aims at developing data products for RE potentials using a suite of climate and hydrological models and observational data sources. Other WPs led by project partners focus on science-policy dialogue and the implementation of climate services in policymaking; impact modeling and consideration of the energy-food-water nexus; the link between RE and sustainable development strategies; and local case studies and demonstrations of hybrid RE systems.

Funded by: BELSPO

Contact: Wim Thiery (wim.thiery@vub.be); Ann van Griensven (ann.van.griensven@vub.be)

Project Partners: PIK, WASCAL, SEI, DTU, ZEF-University of Bonn.

Duration: April 2017 - March 2020

FloodCitiSense aims at developing an urban pluvial flood early warning service for, but also by citizens and city authorities. This service will reduce the vulnerability of urban areas and citizens to pluvial floods, which cause serious damage to the urban environment.

Citizens will be actively involved in the monitoring of rainfall and flooding, making use of low-cost sensors and web-based technologies. The early warning service will enable ‘citizens and cities’ to be better prepared and to better respond to urban pluvial floods. FloodCitiSense targets a co-creation of this innovative public service in an urban living lab context with all actors

Facts:
Contact: Boud Verbeiren, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
E-mail: boud.verbeiren@vub.be
Budget: 1.678.276 MEUR (funding by JPI Urban Europe)

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Valorisation of the geothermal potential of the Brussels Capital Region

Funded by FEDER-EFRO Brussel

Coordinator: Ulb

Partners: WTCB, BIM, GSB

Team members from VUB-HYDR: Janik Kukral and Marijke Huysmans

Contact: marijke.huysmans@vub.ac.be

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Smart WAter Management to Protect the OaSis areas of Morocco based on Integrated Modelling Systems  

Funded by VLIR-UOS (TEAM project)

Promoters from VUB-HYDR: Marijke Huysmans and Ann Van Griensven

Local coordinator: prof. dr. ir. Abdelkader Larabi, Université Mohammed V de Rabat

Contact: marijke.huysmans@vub.ac.be

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VUB coordinates the project P2 on Integrated Water Management in the VLIR-UOS IUC with the UCB in Bolivia. 

Funded by VLIR-UOS

Contact: marijke.huysmans@vub.ac.be

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The RS4MoDy aims to investigate the morphodynamics of macro-tidal barred beach from short (storm event) to long-term (>25-years), and to address the relative roles of meteorological‐marine forcing factors in driving bar behaviour and evolution. This project will provide a better understanding of barred beach morphodynamics and will have some implications for coastal management.

Research Site: The project is carried out at Groenendijk-Koksijde (Belgium)

Funded by: BELSPO

Partners: VUB, VITO and UCL

Contact: Margaret Chen

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SMART-ET is a VLIR-UOS funded project with VUB, KULeuven, NM-AIST (TZ) and SUA (TZ) as partners. We will improve efficent management of evapo-transpiration losses in the Makanya catchment (Tanzania) at field and catchment scale.

Lead: Ann van Griensven (VUB) and Frederick Kahimba (SUA)

Partners: Jan Diels (KULeuven), Boniface Mbiliniyi (SUA), Hans Komakech (NM-AIST) and Philippe Quevauviller (VUB)

This project is funded by ESA-TIGER and will use Remote Sensing to estimate and manage evapotranspiration in Makanya catchment.

Consortium members are BonifaceP. Mbilinyi, Ann van Griensven, Boud Verbeiren, Imeshi Weerasinghe, Frederick C. Kahimba, Siza D. Tumbo.

VUB-HYDR is partner in the RESPONSE project on "Reactive transport modelling of point source contamination in soils and groundwater"

Funded by: BELSPO BRAIN

Coordinator: SCK-CEN

Partners: VUB, KULeuven, KBIN, UCL

Contact: marijke.huysmans@vub.ac.be

In UrbanEARS we explore the potential of state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies for detailed, spatially explicit characterization of the urban environment. Investigated data sources include imaging spectroscopy, multispectral remote sensing and laser altimetry. Acquired information on the characteristics of green and built-up areas is subsequently used to improve the parametrization of urban biophysical models. 

Funded by:  Belgian Federal Science Policy (Belspo) within the RESEARCH PROGRAMME FOR EARTH OBSERVATION - “STEREO III”

Contributors from HYDR: Boud Verbeiren, Charlotte Wirion

Contact: boud.verbeiren@vub.ac.be, website

VUB-HYDR is leading the BELSPO-STEREOIII project 'High-resolution modelling and monitoring of water and energy transfers in wetland ecosystems' with case studies in Belgium, Luxembourg and Poland. 

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Team members from HYDR: Boud Verbeiren, Ann van Griensven, Joanna Suliga

Contact: boud.verbeiren@vub.ac.be

The project on "Model-based assessment of the potential of seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage and recovery as a groundwater ecosystem service for the Brussels-Capital Region" (2014-2017) is funded by Innoviris

Team members from HYDR: Christian Anibas and Marijke Huysmans

Contact: canibas@vub.ac.be

Scientific research in support of the morphological management of the coastal zone and the Scheldt estuary. This project is funded by Flemish Government (Vlaamse overhead, Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken).

Project Promoter: Margaret Chen <Margaret.Chen@vub.ac.be>

Environmental scientific services for the development of sustainable agriculture and to face the climatic change in Cuba in collaboration with University of Oriente, Cuba. 

Contact: Margaret Chen <Margaret.Chen@vub.ac.be>

Sedimentological research and instrumentation in riverine and estuarine  environments. This project is funded by Flemish Government (Vlaamse overhead, Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken).

Project Promoter: Margaret Chen <Margaret.Chen@vub.ac.be>

VUB-HYDR is leading the BELSPO-SSD project 'Drought-related vulnerability and risk assessment of groundwater resources in Belgium  

Team members from HYDR: Boud Verbeiren, Marijke Huysmans, Imeshi Weerasinghe, Okke Batelaan

Contact: boud.verbeiren@vub.ac.be

TORUS project (Toward an Open Resources Upon Services: Cloud of environmental data), finded through Erasmus +, aims to make operational techniques of cloud computing (CC) in the disciplinary field of environmental science and massive databases (Big Data) for future training and projects in partner countries.  

Contact: Ann van Griensven (avgriens@vub.ac.be)

VUB is leading the project 'Water and People - Understanding eco-hydrological processes to develop participatory water allocation tools'

Funded by VLIR-UOS, co-lead by Hans Komakech (NM-AIST).

Contributors from HYDR: Alvin Rujweka, Ann van Griensven

Contact: ann.van.griensven@vub.ac.be  website

Starting date of project: October 2015

End: November 2018

Project Consortium: EU universities (UGR-Spain, IHE-Delft + UUtrecht-Netherlands, VUBBelgium; AUTh – Thessaloniki, Greece)

Maghreb Universities (INAT-Tunis, Gafsa/FS-Tunisia, EMI-UM5-Rabat, UIT-Kénitra; Annaba-Algeria; Mascara-Algeria)

Project Summary

The project is designed to create in Maghreb a PhD school in regular PhD programs in water & environment, improve existing prerequisite courses and develop new modern courses to train staff and PhD students, through a regional Hydroplatform establishment based on open GIS and modeling softwares, to follow-up the recent water strategies in Maghreb (2010-2030).This goal is consistent with the HE system reform adopted in Maghreb universities (MA, DZ, TN). Through this JP Maghreb and EU Universities will integrate academic community and will lead to more effective transfer of knowledge, teaching/research skills-methods from EU partners to PC.

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