Scottish Water uses Rezatec’s peatland EO techniques to improve source water catchments

Rezatec, the leading landscape intelligence data products provider, is working with Scottish Water on a proof-of-concept project to help assess peatland integrity across remote parts of their catchments to help protect and improve the quality of their source water.

High-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data, obtained mainly from optical and Radar satellite imagery, has been calibrated with spatial land cover and peat depth data to provide an accurate picture of peatland structure and integrity. Knowing the condition of peat can help Scottish Water focus any catchment activities.

Zoë Frogbrook, Technical lead for Catchment Management, Scottish Water said: “The use of earth observation data to assess peatland areas within our source water catchments will help us focus our activities to preserve important sources of drinking water. This not only helps to protect the environment but it will potentially reduce the cost of providing a clear fresh public water supply. If this project is successful then we may look at expanding Rezatec’s services across wider catchment areas.”

Patrick Newton, CEO at Rezatec commented: “Our combined processing of Earth Observation, UAV and ground data through the Rezatec platform is proving to be particularly useful for water utility companies wishing to take a cost-effective and scalable approach towards managing their water catchment areas. Peatland management is just one application that helps companies such as Scottish Water achieve these goals.”

Rezatec’s landscape intelligence platform offers a cost-effective way of measuring peat extent and how intact it is over wide and potentially remote areas that are otherwise expensive to measure or inaccessible from the ground.

Rezatec is bringing similar insights to other water companies and looks set to benefit many more in the coming months as well as in other sectors where its data products can also add value, for example, as a key part of the planning process for renewable energy projects, and, ensuring the quality and security of water supply for food and drink manufacturers.