Talent to face the new challenges in the water sector

On 21 October GMV took part in the 2nd “New Professional Challenges in the Water Sector” colloquium, held at the Móstoles campus of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, a pioneering university in the rollout of the Bachelor’s Degree in Water Resources.

The colloquium seeks to highlight the demand for professionals who are trained to meet the challenge of sustainably managing water as a valuable resource in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under the title “Talent for the Water Challenge,” several professionals with backgrounds in environmental sciences and mining engineering who are now working in various sectors related to water resources talked about their experience, professional development and research endeavors in their current fields. The aim was to convey the job opportunities offered by the water sector, which is facing new social, economic and environmental problems such as the growing demand for water, worsening water quality, and the management of extreme natural events.

Beatriz Revilla Romero, project manager for Earth Observation and Natural Risks in GMV’s Space division, took part in the colloquium with a paper on hydrological risk management in international contexts. In her presentation, she highlighted the projects that GMV is carrying out in its Remote Sensing & Geospatial Analytics division, such as the European Space Agency’s Climate Resilience project under the Global Development Assistance (GDA) program, in which we are currently working with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to leverage satellite data and hydrological modeling in order to bolster our resilience to floods. Ms Revilla also described another European Space Agency project being carried out under the Earth Observation (EO) Africa program. The project focuses on drought monitoring and developing a system together with users in South Africa.

In Ms Revilla’s opinion, EO data are enhancing our ability to promote ecosystem and natural resource management, respond more effectively to natural disasters, address climate change and tackle other global challenges. Many of these challenges share a common link: water management. Therefore, graduates of the Bachelor’s Degree in Water Resources have a great challenge and responsibility to improve how this vital, life-sustaining resource is managed.