Nodes

The Nodes will be key components of the research infrastructure as centers of recognized thematic expertise entrusted with the task of developing, implementing and maintaining the quality of the DANUBIUS Commons in their areas of expertise. In the current configuration, Nodes are planned to cover Observation, Analysis, Modelling and Impact. Nodes will provide facilities and services, data storage and provision, experimental and in situ measurements facilities, state-of-the-art analytical capabilities and implementation of standardized procedures to users and quality control. They will provide interfaces with regional and local stakeholders, enhancing knowledge exchange and innovation. The four initial Nodes will have Leading Laboratories in the UK (Observation Node), Germany (Analysis Node), Italy (Modelling Node) and The Netherlands (Impact Node).

Observation Node

The Leading Laboratories for the Observation Node will be in the UK and led by the University of Stirling (USTIR).  Building on Copernicus Services, the observation node provides  operational data processing on water quality and quantity, delivering bespoke Earth observation products and services across the RI, coupled with the technology and sensor deployment to support  calibration, validation and training.

The Node will ensure that data are acquired and integrated from in situ sensor networks and satellites, processed and distributed. It will develop, and provide access to, state of the art analytical research facilities for bio-optics and radar remote sensing research. ​It will be responsible for standardisation of procedures, including of instrumented data buoys and sampling to support satellite validation activities across supersites.

Analysis Node

The Leading Laboratory for the Analysis Node will be Technical University Dresden, Germany. The role of this Node is to ensure consistency and reliability in analytical techniques to enable a common evaluation and effective comparison between research groups operating within and between Supersites, and other observation and experimental sites. It will provide access to state-of- the-art scientific expertise, laboratories, instrumentation and methodologies to identify anthropogenic impacts and their processes and interactions. This includes analytical capability across disciplines in geology, hydrology hydro morphology, chemistry, biology, ecotoxicology and hygiene.

Modelling Node

The Leading Laboratory for the Modelling Node will be the CNR Institute for Marine Science (ISMAR) in Italy. The Modelling Node is built on the contribution of a core team of partners, including Deltares and OGS.

Numerical modelling tools are essential for delivering well-informed management insights in River Seas (RS) systems. Modelling is one of the core services provided by DANUBIUS-RI drawing on the inputs in particular from the Nodes and Supersites. This modelling capacity is a distinctive feature within the landscape of ESFRI Research Infrastructures (RIs). This Node will integrate data collected from Supersites, and other observation and experimental sites, in models that simulate specific processes, interpolate between available measurements and carry out forecasts and ‘what if?’ predictions. It will provide a technological advanced platform for modelling services, in terms of software and shared data.

The guiding principle of the Modelling node is the information sharing and the involvement of the all interested DANUBIUS partners from the very beginning in the construction of the node and its own activities and future services.

The Modelling Node plays as a hub for the research modelling community, providing a common place, structured, where to share best practices for the River-Sea modelling and try to find new solutions to address knowledge or technology gaps, through dedicated workshops, the creation of a future summer school and a continuous effort in developing training support and expert support for modellers.

The community already identified core topics driving the actions of the Modelling Node, such as:

•  Integrate Earth Observation Data (satellite, remote sensing, drones) for system analysis and data-driven modelling, allowing also for assimilation techniques to be developed

• Combine similar and complementary models – Model coupling and model integration
  • Ensembles of models
  • Coupling of models: e.g. Hydrodynamics – morphology – vegetation – waves
  • Exchange of algorithms
• Multi resolution techniques allow us to scale up and down between global, regional and local models.
• Coupling of geographical domains to model catchment (rural, urban),  river , and marine systems (1D-2D-3D interfaces)
• Sharing of Good Modeling Practice, software code, scripts, etc.
• Development of guidelines for modularizing scientific sub-models and modules for easy exchange between models
• Development of Protocols and standards (data  and file formats) for interoperability leading to the creation of a Danubius specification

Impact Node

The Leading Laboratory for the Impact Node will be Deltares in the Netherlands.
It will integrate technical knowledge on RS systems (including water, subsurface and infrastructure) with governance and policy-making for problem-solving. It will develop and test concepts, methods and instruments. Methods and instruments may be focused, for example, on accelerating design and decision making (e.g. by using a decision theatre), improving quality and decreasing the costs of spatial planning in RS systems. Methods and instruments may also focus on how to better cope with uncertainties in decision making processes, how to involve stakeholders (e.g. in knowledge co-creation), and on spanning the boundaries between the different science disciplines involved in DANUBIUS-RI (e.g. by the development of a common language).