EU-Hydro 2.0: Reference Hydrographic dataset for Europe

Since 2024, Confluvio has been part of an international consortium to upgrade EU-Hydro. This consortium is operating under the leadership of GAF and includes Telespazio Ibérica, e-GEOS and DLR.

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EU-Hydro is a hydrographic reference dataset of Europe, produced within Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) and coordinated by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in the framework of the Copernicus programme. It offers detailed information on the geographical distribution and spatial characteristics of water resources throughout Europe, such as river networks, surface water bodies and watersheds. EU-Hydro exists in its current version 1.3, initially developed in 2012, and last updated in 2020, aimed at improving data accuracy and network topology. However, inconsistencies remained, allowing EU-Hydro to be used for mapping applications, whereas its use for hydrological modelling remains limited.

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The upgraded EU-Hydro 2.0 suite of products will constitute a harmonized, homogeneous and consistent reference dataset for Europe. It is based on latest-generation Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) – i.e. 10m resolution, based on the TanDEM-X mission, and supported by the Copernicus DEM at 30m – as well as best-possible hydrographic and land cover ancillary data and satellite imagery. The resulting EU-Hydro 2.0 suite of products consists of three main raster and five vector products covering the river basins of EEA38+UK area.

The final product is expected to be released in 2027.

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