Spatial information on groundwater
BGR assesses the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of groundwater resources using physically measurable parameters and presents them as spatial information and predictive tools.
Comprehensive data on the availability and quality of groundwater form the basis for addressing various hydrogeological issues, such as the sustainable management of groundwater resources, groundwater protection or the use of geothermal energy. The use of modern methods and prediction models allows not only the visualisation of the current status, but also forecasts to identify future developments at an early stage and to support planning.
Current projects
BGR relies on modern analytical methods, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to efficiently process large amounts of data to ensure predictive capability as the basis for sustainable water management. The resulting forecast models provide a reliable picture of future changes in groundwater resources.
Collecting, processing, evaluating, and providing fundamental hydrogeological information at scales of 1:250,000 and smaller is a core task of BGR. Groundwater-related data from Germany, Europe and around the world are collected in cooperation with Germany's State Geological Surveys, national and international organisations such as UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), and within the framework of development cooperation projects.
A key product is GRUVO, an operational machine learning-based forecasting tool that uniformly represents past, present and future groundwater levels across Germany. In addition to interactive analyses, GRUVO enables the early detection of trends. The results support decision-makers in politics, water management, planning, and environmental protection in developing and implementing sustainable strategies.
Comprehensive hydrogeological information is provided by the Hydrogeological Map of Germany 1:250,000 (HÜK250) and various hydrogeological thematic maps of Germany at a scale of 1:1,000,000. For Europe-wide issues, BGR offers the International Hydrogeological Map of Europe 1:1,500,000 (IHME1500). On a global scale, BGR provides datasets compiled as part of the World-wide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment Programme (WHYMAP).