Smart Coasts = Sustainable Communities

Closed

Smart Coasts aims to equip Irish and Welsh communities to maintain the economic and strategic value of their near-shore waters. This will be done by facilitating application of new real-time management systems, first suggested by World Health Organisation and soon to be allowed (but not a regulatory requirement of) in the 2006 Bathing Water Directive. This will ensure no adverse loss of beach awards (blue flags) and the maintenance of public health through deployment of ICT tools and real-time public information systems. Aims will be achieved through delivery of the following objectives: • Quantitative Microbial Source Apportionment (QMSA): producing QMSA analysis for both catchments and associated near shore areas. • New Statistical Prediction Modelling: calibrating and building statistical prediction models for both sites. • Linked Models of Catchments and their near shore zone: calibrating and building linked catchment and near shore models for both sites. • Real-time Public Information Tools: Developing and field-testing real-time public information tools at each site. • Tracking and Quantification of Microbial Source: designing and deploying environmental microbial tracking and tracing systems to confirm/calibrate model predictions. • Successful Model Implementation and Bathing Water Compliance: Operationalising and running modelling systems to predict bathing water compliance and drive real time prediction and public information systems. • Road-map to Guide Regulators and Operators at other Locations: Providing the mechanisms and communication to ensure take up of the modelling and information systems in both partner areas and throughout the EU.

Medium