Upgrade of EU-Hydro for the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS)

The Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) framework contract for upgrading the pan-European hydrological reference dataset EU-Hydro has now kicked off. The aim with the EU-Hydro suite of products is to provide a key reference suite for hydrological applications across Europe, while also still being a reference dataset for mapping within the Copernicus services. Several new methodological approaches will be tested and implemented for the creation of the EU-Hydro suite of products, with the goal of having them ready for roll-out by mid-2025.

The new EU-Hydro suite of products will be produced for all river basins in Europe. One of the main innovations will be the availability of raster layers — such as a hydrologically conditioned DEM, a flow direction map, and a flow accumulation map — derived from the state-of-the-art CopDEM 10m. Other important additions will be the topologically consistent river network, water bodies and watersheds. The upgrades in EU-Hydro will also include a newly delineated, up-to-date coastline dataset, as well as a specific layer on artificial structures of high relevance for a number of key policy areas, such as nature restoration and climate adaptation. These will include barriers and protective structures, all topologically consistent with the river network.

As a reference dataset in the CLMS portfolio, EU-Hydro provides detailed insights into water resources. It combines data from various sources — including the Copernicus Digital Elevation Model (COP-DEM) and national hydrographic datasets from Member States, as well as space-based imagery — to deliver information on the physical characteristics and geographical distribution of Europe’s water bodies.

Besides its use as a reference dataset for many CLMS thematic products, the updated version of EU-Hydro will support a wide range of applications within the hydrological domain, such as water resource assessments, water quality evaluations, environmental protection strategies, hydrological risk assessments and climate changes studies.

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