Frankfurt relies on digital irrigation: supplying trees smartly!

Frankfurt relies on digital irrigation: supplying trees smartly!

In times of climate change, cities must come up with innovative solutions to sustainably irrigate their green spaces. In Frankfurt am Main, an exciting project called “NEWS – Natural-digital Ecosystems for Water Savings” is being launched in this direction. This initiative, initiated by Kommune21, brings together the parks department, the Palmengarten and the Fraunhofer Institute FIT to irrigate trees as needed.

The main aim of the project is to make irrigation more efficient in urban green spaces, especially in the face of more frequent dry periods favored by climate change. With funding of around 1.3 million euros from the Hessian Ministry for Digitalization and Innovation, software is to be developed by autumn 2025 that precisely records the water requirements of individual trees. This includes the installation of 200 sensors that collect important data on suction tension and water content in the soil.

Technology for nature

The idea behind digital irrigation is to organize trees into groups that share similar conditions, such as tree species, location and microclimate. This makes it possible to precisely determine the specific irrigation requirements. According to a recent report, prominent politicians, such as Hesse's Digital Minister Kristina Sinemus, also regularly inform themselves about the project's progress.

In total, the Frankfurt Parks Department looks after around 7,000 to 8,000 young trees, while the Palmengarten and the Botanical Garden also look after a large number of trees. Scarcity and targeted irrigation are becoming an increasingly important issue due to the sensor data collected. The findings from the project could serve as a blueprint for other municipalities across Germany.

Digital initiatives in the surrounding area

But it's not just Frankfurt that is working on digitization in the area of ​​urban nature. Similar projects are also in the pipeline in Nauheim and Bad Homburg. FNP reports that several digitization projects are to be implemented in Bad Homburg by the end of 2024, including for soil moisture monitoring with modern sensors. These support the targeted irrigation of young trees and become part of an inter-communal project that primarily serves digitalization.

City authorities work closely together to collect data on environmental and infrastructure conditions and make it easily accessible to citizens. QR codes and interactive content could also expand tourism offerings in the future. Other planned projects in Bad Homburg include VR glasses for virtual tours and an online platform for citizen participation.

A look beyond the borders

But the irrigation problem does not only affect Germany, but is a global issue. The Fraunhofer Institute shows this with projects in cities such as Kochi in India and Saltillo in Mexico, which develop innovative solutions to combat climate change. It is encouraging that such initiatives, which focus on resource conservation and efficiency, are becoming increasingly important.

Whether in Frankfurt, Nauheim or Bad Homburg – developments in the field of digital irrigation show that a lot can be achieved with practical, well-thought-out solutions to preserve urban greenery for future generations.