Imagine farmers secretly tapping into rivers or aquifers without permission — and water authorities have no easy way to catch them. DIANA built a satellite-based service that spots illegally irrigated fields from space and estimates how much water is being stolen. Think of it like a speed camera, but for water theft. It was tested in real conditions across Spain, Italy, and Romania with the authorities who would actually use it.
Water authorities across Southern Europe lose millions in revenue from unauthorized irrigation wells and illegal water pumping, but manually inspecting thousands of square kilometers is prohibitively expensive. During droughts, uncontrolled water theft accelerates reservoir depletion and damages legitimate farmers who follow the rules.
A commercial satellite-based service platform that uses Copernicus Earth Observation data to detect illegally irrigated areas and estimate stolen water volumes. The final integrated and tested platform was delivered and validated through 3 operational pilots with real water authorities.
If you are a water authority struggling to find unauthorized irrigation wells and pumps across thousands of square kilometers — this project developed a satellite-based service platform that identifies illegally irrigated areas and estimates how much water is being abstracted. It was piloted with 3 real water authorities in Spain, Italy, and Romania.
If you are an agricultural insurer needing to verify actual irrigation practices on insured farmland — this project built a platform using Copernicus Earth Observation data that can detect which fields are being irrigated and estimate water volumes used. This helps validate claims and assess drought-related risk exposure across large regions.
If you are an environmental consultancy helping governments enforce water abstraction regulations — this project created a cost-effective monitoring service that replaces expensive on-the-ground inspections with satellite-based detection. The platform was integrated into real operational workflows of water management authorities across 3 EU countries.
The project objective states the platform was designed to be 'affordable and cost-effective' compared to traditional ground-based inspections. Specific pricing is not disclosed in the available data, but the business model was validated during the project with a dedicated commercialization roadmap.
The platform was piloted in 3 countries (Spain, Italy, Romania), demonstrating cross-border applicability. It leverages Copernicus satellite data which covers all of Europe, so scaling to new regions is primarily a configuration task rather than a technology limitation.
The platform was developed by a consortium of 9 partners led by Agricultural Applications IKE, a Greek SME. As an Innovation Action project, the consortium planned post-project commercialization. Licensing or service access would need to be negotiated with the coordinator.
This was an Innovation Action (IA), meaning it was closer to market than basic research. The consortium delivered a 'Final version of integrated and tested DIANA service platform' and ran operational pilots with real water authorities in 3 countries.
Based on the project objective, all 3 pilots were specifically integrated with the existing workflows of water authority users. Results were co-evaluated and validated with end-users through a structured methodology to ensure the platform fits real operational needs.
The platform was designed to help authorities enforce water abstraction regulations, particularly during drought conditions. It was built and validated in cooperation with public water management authorities across 3 EU member states.
The 9-partner consortium across 6 countries (Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Romania) is well-structured for commercialization. With 5 SMEs and a 56% industry ratio, this is a market-driven team rather than an academic exercise. The coordinator, Agricultural Applications IKE, is a Greek SME — meaning the technology owner is already a commercial entity motivated to bring this to market. The presence of partners in water-stressed Mediterranean countries (Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Romania) ensures the platform was tested where illegal water abstraction is most severe.
Contact Agricultural Applications IKE (Greece) — the coordinating SME that owns the platform
Want to connect with the DIANA team about licensing their water monitoring platform? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help you evaluate the fit for your region.
