The catamaran “Innovator” will study water and air quality along the Danube

On April 2, a ceremony was held in Ruse to inaugurate a new specialized research vessel. The catamaran “Innovator” features a lithium-ion battery storage system and electric motors enabling carbon-neutral navigation. On board, there is a foldable drone platform that extends the range of monitoring.

The drones are equipped with sensors that measure air quality parameters, including gas pollution. They also have high-resolution cameras and LiDAR systems for geospatial mapping. Water probes will monitor nine key indicators of water quality. The collected data is transmitted in real time to an open-access cloud platform.

“Innovator” will monitor water and air quality along the Danube from Ruse to Silistra. The project is funded by Danube River Environmental Assessment and Monitoring (DREAM) under the Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria Program. The lead partner in the project is the University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”, BTA reported.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov