Establishing a Safe Operating Space for the global water resources system (SOS Water)

Overview

SOS-Water is a EU-funded project, started in October 2022, which aims to define a safe operating space (SOS) for water resources, accounting concurrently for all relevant water dimensions across multiple sectors and spatial scales under the influence of socio-economic, policy, technological, and climatic changes.

SOS Water seeks to understand the Safe Operating Space (SOS) of the entire water resources system based on integrated modelling, monitoring, advanced indicator development, and an inclusive stakeholders’ engagement based on true collaboration, including co-development of scenarios and management pathways.

In addition to going beyond state-of-the-art water systems modeling, the project will develop a comprehensive set of indicators to assess and monitor the environmental, social, and economic performance of water systems.

A strong emphasis will also be put on participatory research and inclusive stakeholder engagement.

The participating researchers will collaborate with regional and local authorities, water user representatives, non-governmental organizations, and citizens to co-create future scenarios and water management pathways.

By streamlining water planning at different levels, it can be ensured that water allocation among societies, economies, and ecosystems will be economically efficient, socially fair, and resilient to shocks.

Work Packages 

• WP1: Co-developed Water Values and Scenarios
  focuses on establishing real-world applications and understanding stakeholder requirements, setting the stage for practical and impactful research.
• WP2: Integrated Water Modelling System
  involves developing advanced tools and models for water resource management, integrating data from various sources to create a comprehensive management framework.
• WP3: Earth System Monitoring
  aims to explore future scenarios impacting water systems, providing essential context for planning and decision-making.
• WP4: Indicators and Thresholds
  systematically assesses and develops a comprehensive range of water indicators to evaluate environmental, economic, and social dimensions of water systems.
• WP5: Design and assessment of SOS
  develops and applies the SOS concept, assessing water system performance across scenarios and identifying robust policies to mitigate vulnerabilities.
• WP6: Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication
  ensures the project’s findings and innovations are effectively communicated to stakeholders, supporting widespread adoption and impact.
• WP7: Project Management and Coordination
  provides the administrative, financial, and strategic coordination necessary for the successful execution of the project, fostering collaboration and ensuring adherence to objectives.

SOS-Water Project Team

The Water Security research group at IIASA is the coordinator of the project consortium.

The consortium consists of the following partners:

• International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Austria)
• Universiteit Utrecht (The Netherlands)
• Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain)
• Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
• Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (Germany)
• FutureWater (The Nethrlands)
• Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Geologie si Geoecologie Marina (Romania)
• Southern Institute for Water Resources Planning (Vietnam)
• Eutema Research Services GmbH (Austria)
• Aalborg University (Denmark) 
• Eidgenoessische Anstalt Fuer Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewaesserchutz EAWAG (Swizerland) 

IIASA Project Team

IIASA models being used in this project

Further Information