GlassGround: Making the invisible visible

💎 Idea

Problem: Europe has an invisible water crisis. Unseen, unsustainable groundwater extraction is causing the land itself to sink (subsidence), threatening our long-term water supply and putting homes, roads, and infrastructure at risk.

Solution: Aqua-Guard is a platform that makes this invisible crisis visible and solvable.

1. We Map the Problem: Using EU satellite data, we create near real-time maps showing exactly where the land is sinking due to groundwater loss.
2. We Enable Smart Decisions (For Policymakers): Our key feature is a "Policy Simulator." Authorities can now test policies before they are enacted. For example, they can model scenarios like, "What happens to subsidence and water levels over 5 years if we reduce agricultural water allocation by 20% in this valley?" This allows them to see the future impact of their decisions and choose the most effective path.
3. We Empower Citizens (For Communities): We give citizens the data they need to demand specific action. Instead of vaguely asking the government to "do something," a community can now use our platform to say: "Our area has subsided by 5cm in two years due to over-extraction, putting our local school at risk. We demand a revised water permit plan for this specific industrial zone." This transforms public pressure into precise, evidence-based requests.

🛰️ EU space technologies

Our solution is built on a powerful fusion of EU space data, making the invisible, visible.

• Copernicus Sentinel-1: This is our core. Its radar vision allows us to detect land sinking with millimetre-level precision, directly showing us where our groundwater reserves are under the most stress.
• Copernicus Sentinel-2: This provides the "why." Its detailed images help us connect subsidence hotspots to their cause on the ground, whether it's a new cluster of irrigated farms or urban expansion.
• Galileo: This guarantees our accuracy. Galileo's precise positioning signals let us validate our measurements and pinpoint exactly which buildings or pipelines are in high-risk zones, making our alerts credible and actionable.

💧 EU Space for Water

We directly solve Challenge 1: Securing equitable and efficient access to water, and contribute to Challenge 3: Disaster risk monitoring.

• For Water Access (Challenge 1): We provide the tools to manage groundwater sustainably. By showing the direct consequences of over-extraction, we help authorities create fair and efficient water allocation policies, ensuring this vital resource is protected for the future.
• For Disaster Risk (Challenge 3): Land subsidence is a slow-moving disaster. Our platform acts as an early warning system, identifying areas at risk of infrastructure damage before it happens. This allows for preventative action, saving money and protecting communities from foundation cracks, broken pipelines, and flooded coastal areas.

🤼 Team

Geo-David Sofran - Software Engineer & Team Lead

• Embedded SW, AI and Robotics, Cloud DevOps

Andreea Gheorghe, PhD- Communication Expert & Human Centric Designer

• Needs analysis, people centered research, data storytelling, public speaking

Ioan-Vladimir Sarbu - Software Engineer & Toolsmith

• Embedded SW, Electronics, AI and Control Engineering. Passionate about infrastructure.

Tudor-Gabriel Nicolaescu - Software Engineer

• Web development, Embedded SW, AI and Machine Learning, Linux Fan, DevOps and CI\CD

Carmen Gherasim - Technical Project Manager 

• Waterfall and Agile project management approaches, Problem-solving expert 

Alexandru Lucaciu Lucian - Software Engineer

• Embedded SW, Hardware enthusiast, Sportive pilot

Marton Szabolcs - Software & Mechanical Engineer

• Web development, Embedded SW, Satellite data processing basics, CAM/CAD

Andrei Botond Futo - Technical Project Manager

• Waterfall and agile management frameworks, Planning, Coordination and monitoring, Data Analysis, Financial Analysis.