Digital Twin Alps: Water Resource and Disaster Risk Management

As Europe’s most densely populated mountain range, the Alps face serious threats from hydrological and gravitational hazards, all of which are exacerbated by accelerating climate change. The Digital Twin Alps (DTA) is an ambitious project funded under ESA’s Regional Initiative 3 programme dedicated to creating a digital representation of the major physical processes in the Alpine region, with an emphasis on managing water resources and mitigating disaster risks.

The primary objective of DTA is to pave the way for a future Digital Twin Earth (DTE) instance specifically tailored to the Alpine context. Through the integration of advanced Earth Observation data, high-resolution simulations, and artificial intelligence, the demonstration platform functions as a powerful decision-support tool for a variety of stakeholders, providing insight into the use and future needs for a future DTE.

The DTA focuses on two critical areas: Water Resource Management and Disaster Risk Management. In the water resource domain, the project provides essential information of snow cover, river discharge, and soil moisture / drought, through monitoring and forecasting services, but also scenario-based tools that enable hydropower companies, municipalities, and agricultural stakeholders to make informed choices based on water availability and usage patterns. In the disaster risk management domain, the project tackles issues including flooding, landslides, terrain movement, and glacier dynamics. By delivering predictive models and high-resolution mapping services, DTA supports early warning systems and risk assessments essential for public safety and infrastructure planning.

Thanks to the collaboration of international partners from Switzerland (Terranum Sarl), France (SATT Conectus Alsace), Italy (CNR-IRPI, Waterjade Srl), Slovenia (Sinergise Solution d.o.o.) and Austria (Sinergise Solutions GmbH), the DTA represents a critical step towards understanding and adapting to environmental changes in mountain ecosystems by bringing together a holistic view of interconnected processes. Furthermore, the project sets a framework for future DTE applications in other mountainous regions.