BWI wins the CNES call for projects under the France 2030 plan to develop an innovative global hydrological monitoring service using satellites and artificial intelligence.
Toulouse, June 26, 2025 – The contract signed between CNES (French Space Agency) and BWI, under the France 2030 investment plan, aims to deliver highly innovative services in the field of hydrology. These services, powered by artificial intelligence, will leverage precise and daily water level measurements across all global basins, thanks to sensors onboard a world- unique satellite constellation. They will significantly enhance water resource management and the anticipation of floods and droughts. This contract is part of the France 2030 program, overseen by the Directorate General for Enterprises (DGE), the Directorate for Research and Innovation (DGRI), and the France’s defence procurement agency (DGA), with the support of the General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI).
On May 31, 2024, CNES, acting on behalf of the French government, launched a public consultation in collaboration with the Ministry for Ecological Transition (MTE) to explore new high- frequency Earth observation services for continental water levels. The goal: to meet the growing needs of the scientific community, international organizations, and industry stakeholders (energy, insurance, water treatment) in freshwater resource management.
Named H2R – High-Revisit Hydrology – the project reflects a bold ambition: to deploy a constellation of satellites equipped with miniaturized altimeters capable of delivering unprecedented data on river flows at the global scale. BWI will provide demonstration data from the first two satellites. This initial phase will significantly improve hydrological models and support the emergence of a world-class French hydrological space sector.
Caroline LAURENT, Director of Orbital Systems and Applications at CNES, commented: “H2R builds on France’s longstanding expertise in space hydrology, supported by CNES. It also embodies the public sector’s commitment to enabling emerging players to develop future technologies with major societal impact, such as water resource management.”
Philippe GAUTIER, President of BWI, added: “We are very proud to have been selected by CNES for the H2R project. We are leading a consortium of French companies for whom this public contract is a major opportunity to develop unique technologies with significant economic and political impact. It will allow for the deployment of a water level forecasting service across all hydrological basins worldwide, with dramatically improved reliability and temporal depth.”
