The IDEATION project kicked off June 1st 2024 and will have two years to provide the European Commission the architecture of the future Digital Twin Inland Waters to be integrated with the already existing Digital Twin Ocean. Work Package 2 (WP2), specifically focusing on the involvement of Water Oriented Living Labs (WoLLs) and relevant stakeholders has already started.

WoLLs Involvement and Initial Engagement

In June, we reached a significant milestone with Water Europe presenting the WoLLs at the IDEATION Kick-off Meeting (KoM). This presentation marked the successful completion of Milestone 2 (MS2), where the WoLLs were introduced to the consortium, and discussions began on how they will engage with the project. The WoLLs play a crucial role in the project by providing real-world settings for experimentation and collaboration. They are pivotal in co-creating solutions with stakeholders, and in particular in understanding the functional and non functional requirements for the future Digital Twin Inland Waters, as well as for validating its architecture design. The discussion has now evolved into planning specific engagement activities with WoLLs, setting the stage for their active involvement in the upcoming phases.

Development of Reference Scenarios and Stakeholder Mapping

A critical aspect of the project is the characterization of project reference scenarios (RS) and the mapping of stakeholders (SH). We have successfully identified 13 RS, each representing a different European Union country. These scenarios were developed by starting with the WoLLs and then including the countries of the project partners, ensuring a comprehensive representation. Additionally, Romania was included to address the Danube-Black Sea lighthouse, an area not initially covered in the proposal. This inclusion enhances the geographical and thematic scope of the project, reflecting our commitment to a broad and inclusive approach. Currently, the project partners are working on identifying coordinators, determining the types of waters to be investigated, and compiling an initial list of stakeholders for each RS. This preparatory work is crucial for the next phase, as it lays the groundwork for stakeholder engagement activities set to begin in September.

Deliverable 2.1: Expanded Scope

The forthcoming Deliverable 2.1 will include a short description of RS, along with the first draft of the stakeholder register for the RS where a WoLL is involved (7 out of 13), and when possible also for the other RS. This deliverable goes beyond what was initially promised in the project proposal, as it includes a first characterization of the RS in addition to the stakeholder register. This expansion is necessary to accelerate our timeline and ensure that we can start engaging stakeholders in September, as planned.

Next Steps

As we move forward, our focus will shift towards finalizing the RS descriptions and stakeholder register, refining our engagement strategy, and preparing for the intensive stakeholder engagement phase. The input and collaboration of WoLLs will be critical, and we look forward to their contributions in co-developing the architecture of the future Digital Twin Inland Waters.
The next few months will be pivotal, and we are confident that with the continued collaboration and dedication of all partners, we will achieve our goals and set a strong foundation for the future phases of the IDEATION project.