Knowledge Graphs
for Water Management
An intensive, in-person academic program uniting environmental engineering, sustainable water governance, and advanced semantic technologies.
Target Audience
Designed for Doctoral (PhD) and Postdoctoral researchers working at the intersection of:
- Environmental Science
- Water & Waste Infrastructure Management
- Data Science, Semantic Web & Knowledge Graphs
- Affiliated to EULiST Universities
Fusing Theory, Practice, & Interdisciplinary Projects
To address critical global issues and reporting targets on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) indicators, the EULiST Alliance presents an immersive, hands-on scientific camp hosted at Leibniz Universität Hannover.
In the first half of the program, participants will collaborate on sharing and integrating water-related data from diverse disciplines and repositories. In the second half, intensive group project sprints will empower participants to apply semantic models to resolve complex environmental challenges. Informal evening sessions create an open environment for discussing research, networking, and exchanging innovative ideas.
Vision for Intelligent Water Systems
Accelerating the digital transformation of water management with integrated, sustainable semantic technologies.
Topics and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion, participants will have acquired robust framework skills and practical knowledge in semantic system design:
Semantic Water Interoperability
Conceptual understanding of how Knowledge Graphs (KGs) and semantic models enhance water data integration across complex disciplines.
Real-world Resource Applications
Insight into water resource management, decision support frameworks, and regulatory sustainability policies using water metadata structures.
ORKG Infrastructure
Hands-on experience in structured scientific mapping and semantic research comparison using the Open Research Knowledge Graph (ORKG) tool and LDM.
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Knowledge Graph Construction & SPARQL
Practical development skills in ontology design, semantic triples construction, graph architectures, and writing robust SPARQL data queries.
Personal Research Mapping
A customized, personal conceptual model applying knowledge graphs directly to your own PhD thesis or postdoctoral research work.
Interdisciplinary Project Sprints
Collaborative teamwork experience in building, resolving, and presenting team-designed semantic models for municipal water systems.
Summer School Weekly Program
Organized into university lecture blocks, interactive workshops, and hands-on project sprints:
| Time | Sun 13.09 Day 1 |
Mon 14.09 Day 2 |
Tue 15.09 Day 3 |
Wed 16.09 Day 4 |
Thu 17.09 Day 5 |
Fri 18.09 Day 6 |
Sat 19.09 Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 |
Arrival of participants to Hannover
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Welcome & Keynote
Data challenges in water management
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Keynote Lecture
Introduction to Knowledge Graphs
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Excursion
Field Trip to Hamburg
WasserKunst
Northern Germany's largest water museum
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Hands-on
Interactive Exercise
Building & querying a simple water Knowledge Graph
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Sprints
Group Project Work
Designing a KG for a selected water management challenge
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Presentations
Group project output showcases
|
| 10:00 |
Block 1 · LUH
Sanitary Engineering
Water quality, public health, consumption & emission models
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Block 1 · KGs
Real-World Apps
KGs in environmental research & data integration
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Wrap-up & Funding
Emerging research directions and funding opportunities
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| 11:00 | |||||||
| 12:00 | |||||||
| 13:00 | Lunch Break | Lunch Break |
Departure
End of Summer School
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| 14:00 |
Excursion
Klärwerk Herrenhausen
Guided tour to the municipal sewage treatment facility
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Tour
TIB Library
Academic visit to the National Library of Science and Technology
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Project Work
Group Project Sprints
Defining schemas, mapping properties & modeling
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Blue-Green Infrastructure
Technical walk around urban rainwater retention & resilience sites
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| 15:00 |
Project Work
Final Validation Sprints
Consolidation of models & presentation preparation
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| 16:00 | |||||||
| 17:00 |
Icebreaker
Welcome Dinner
Opening activities
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Block 2 · URJC
Wastewater Reuse
Disinfection technologies and reclamation under EU 2020/741
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Block 2 · NTUA
Risk Management
RMPs, Nature-Based Solutions, and new WWTP parameters
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| 18:00+ | Dinner (Free Evening / Networking) | ||||||
09:00 - 17:00: Academic tour to WasserKunst (Hamburg) — Northern Germany's largest water museum, including interactive wastewater infrastructure models.
Syllabus Details: University Lecture Blocks
Institute of Sanitary Engineering (Leibniz Univ. Hannover)
- Drinking Water Quality Data: Integration methodologies and standards for clean drinking supply.
- Water Consumption Data: Industry and agriculture usage metrics.
- Water Emission Data: Tracking wastewater production and processing emissions.
- Public Health: Wastewater-based epidemiology (e.g. tracking pathogens like Legionella) under the new EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain)
- Wastewater Reclamation: Photochemical, electrochemical and membrane disinfection under Regulation (EU) 2020/741.
- Global Reuse Opportunities: Advanced wastewater reclamation in low- and middle-income countries.
- Wastewater Reuse Technologies: Biological and physical-chemical processes for agriculture and aquifer recharge.
- Advanced Monitoring Tools: Implementation of digital and semantic tools for tracking reclaimed wastewater quality.
National Technical University of Athens (Greece)
- Risk Management Plans (RMPs): Design and assessment guidelines under Regulation (EU) 2020/741 and Directive (EU) 2024/3019.
- Nature-Based Solutions (NBS): Engineered wetlands, green roofs, and rainwater capture systems within coastal/Mediterranean contexts (HYDROUSA, CARDIMED).
- New Regulatory Directives: Adapting urban infrastructure to the new parameters of the Revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (EU) 2024/3019.
- WWTP Upgrade Prioritisation: Using structural scoring grids to coordinate regional treatment plant upgrades.
Scientific Field Trips
Bridging environmental theories with real-world infrastructure operations through guided technical excursions:
Hamburg — WasserKunst
WasserKunst Water Museum
Northern Germany's largest water museum. It showcases the journey of clean drinking water from historical river basins to municipal supply systems.
Interactive Sewer Model
Experience wastewater infrastructure first-hand through a walk-through, true-to-life sewer network model showcasing waste treatment technologies.
Public Engagement Displays
Explore state-of-the-art interactive displays detailing environmental protection workflows, resource awareness, and municipal resilience strategies.
Hannover Water Systems
Klärwerk Herrenhausen
One of the oldest treatment facilities in Lower Saxony. It cleans municipal wastewater before returning it safely back into the local Leine River.
Blue-Green Infrastructure Walk
Explore urban planning spaces combining green elements and water capture systems to improve environmental climate resilience and rainwater runoff.
TIB Leibniz Information Centre
The German National Library of Science and Technology. TIB sets European standards in metadata schemas, open science, and academic repositories.
Local Organizers
Co-Organizers
Dr. Elena Koumaki
CO-ORGANIZER
Postdoctoral Researcher & Environmental Scientist, PhD in Environmental Engineering.
National Technical Univ. of Athens Website
Prof. Dr. Francisco Carreño
CO-ORGANIZER
Responsible for the Interuniversity Doctoral Program in Hydrology and Water Management.
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos WebsiteTutors
Assistant Tutors
Keynote Speakers
Summer School Code of Conduct
To guarantee a productive, stimulating, and welcoming academic environment, the EULiST summer school committee is fully committed to providing a harassment-free learning experience for everyone.
Questions about the program?
If you are interested in participating or have any questions about the EULiST Summer School, please reach out to our organizing committee. We look forward to welcoming you to Hannover!
How to Reach Hannover & LUH Venue
The summer school primarily takes place at the main campus of Leibniz University of Hannover (Welfenschloss) and the TIB Leibniz Information Centre.
By Air (Hannover Airport — HAJ)
Hannover Airport has direct connections to major European hubs. From the airport, take the S-Bahn S5 directly to Hannover Hauptbahnhof (central station) in approximately 17 minutes.
By Train (Hannover Hauptbahnhof)
Hannover is a major ICE high-speed rail hub. Frequent connections from Hamburg (~75 min), Berlin (~100 min), and Frankfurt (~140 min).
Local Tram to Campus
From Hannover Central Station, walk ~5 minutes to Kröpcke. Take tram Line 4 (direction Garbsen) or Line 5 (direction Stöcken) to stop "Universität" — approximately 5 minutes, 3 stops.
Physical Coordinates
Welfengarten 1, Hannover
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Main Building (Welfenschloss)
Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover, Germany
Consortium & Alliances
