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Hydrological Balance and Water Resource Availability: 2025 Update, Seasonal Forecasts and Climate Projections
Hydrological Balance and Water Resource Availability: 2025 Update, Seasonal Forecasts and Climate Projections
Mar 24, 2026 09:00 AM — Mar 24, 2026 01:30 PM Rome, ISPRA headquarter

On the occasion of the celebration of World Water Day, ISPRA intends to present the 2025 update of the estimates of the components of the hydrological balance and the natural availability of renewable water resources provided by the BIGBANG model – GIS-Based Hydrological Balance at the National Scale on a Regular Grid. The presentation will also include assessments of the 2025 drought conditions and long-term hydro-climatic statistics.

The BIGBANG assessments at the national and river basin district scale for total precipitation, evapotranspiration, aquifer recharge, and water resource availability (the so-called “internal flow”) constitute the official national data for the WISE SoE – Water Quantity (WISE-3) data flow and for the evaluation of the Water Exploitation Index Plus (WEI+), within the framework of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, as well as for the reporting requirements of the OECD/Eurostat Joint Questionnaire on Inland Waters.

Furthermore, starting from the National Statistical Programme 2023–2025, the National Hydrological Balance indicators produced through the BIGBANG model constitute official statistics within SISTAN – the National Statistical System.

The Workshop is part of ISPRA’s national activities on hydrological characterization and will also provide an opportunity to present the new seasonal forecasting service for hydrological balance and water availability developed by the Institute within the Italian initiative for the National Collaboration Programme (NCP) of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), promoted by the ECMWF – European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates the Copernicus Service on behalf of the European Union.

In addition, future estimates based on climate projections of surface runoff, aquifer recharge, and water resource availability will be presented, also with a view to assessing hydropower production.

During the morning session, application examples of the BIGBANG products will be presented, ranging from the national scale to the local scale.

In-person participation in the Workshop requires registration for the event and will be possible until the maximum number of available seats in the venue is reached.

Program

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Topics in evidence

Second-level Master’s degree in “Environmental Impact Assessment in marine, coastal, and terrestrial areas
Second-level Master’s degree in “Environmental Impact Assessment in marine, coastal, and terrestrial areas
Mar 24, 2026

In response to strong regional demand for the proper management of projects and infrastructure, the University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara (Department of Science), in exclusive collaboration with ISPRA, launches a program of excellence aimed at training professionals capable of designing and assessing environmental impact studies, with a strongly interdisciplinary and hands-on approach.

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Hydrogeological Map of Italy at the 1:500,000 Scale (CII500K)
Hydrogeological Map of Italy at the 1:500,000 Scale (CII500K)
Mar 23, 2026

On the occasion of World Water Day, ISPRA highlights the strategic role of hydrogeological knowledge in the protection and sustainable management of water resources.

In Italy, more than 80% of the water intended for human consumption comes from groundwater. This figure underscores the importance of having reliable knowledge tools to understand, manage, and protect a resource that is fundamental for the country.

The Hydrogeological Map of Italy at the 1:500,000 scale (CII500K) represents a national-scale synthesis product aimed at describing the main hydrogeological complexes and the dynamics of groundwater. The map provides an organic and homogeneous overview of the territory, useful for analyzing available resources at the national level.

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The Geothematic Cartography of the CARG Program
The Geothematic Cartography of the CARG Program
Apr 16, 2026 — Apr 16, 2026 Florence, Istituto Geografico Militare, Via Cesare Battisti, 10

ISPRA and the Italian Military Geographic Institute are organizing the conference “The Geothematic Cartography of the CARG Program” scheduled for April 16, 2026, at the headquarters of the Italian Military Geographic Institute in Florence.

The event represents an important opportunity for scientific and technical discussion on the results and developments of the CARG Program (Geological Map of Italy), with particular focus on the production of geothematic cartography, including geomorphological, hazard, hydrogeological, and geomineral mapping. Throughout the day, experts from ISPRA, universities, research institutions, and public bodies will present thematic map sheets currently under development within the CARG framework, illustrating methodologies, expected results, and future perspectives. Significant attention will also be given to the collaboration between ISPRA and the Italian Military Geographic Institute, as well as to new frontiers in digital cartography.

The day will open with institutional greetings from high-level representatives of the Italian Military Geographic Institute and ISPRA. A visit to the Italian Military Geographic Institute is scheduled at the end of the event.

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