Inneauv is aimed at start-ups, VSEs and SMEs whose solutions address three specific issues:
- the need to protect water resources,
- the need to improve data on water and hence our knowledge of it,
- the need to forestall and manage water-related risks.
Through this first joint call, IGN and BRGM aim to support the development of innovations that can tackle these issues, and the growing needs of regional stakeholders in terms of developing and carrying out public policies. At the end of the selection process, 7 winning companies were chosen. Find out more below.
ÆGIR / KRÆKEN
Lyon-based ÆGIR, founded in 2015, operates in the fields of insurance and environmental engineering. Its mission is to transfer advanced hydraulic technologies developed in laboratories directly to markets that can benefit from them. As part of the Inneauv call for applications, ÆGIR submitted its KRÆKEN flood impact analysis software, designed for the insurance industry. From the end of 2025, insurance companies will be able to use this comprehensive tool, featuring an innovative 3D hydrological flow-modelling method, to assess the potential risks of flooding with a high degree of accuracy. To achieve this, ÆGIR will use Lidar data and IGN's BD Topo ®. The tool will be accelerated by incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automatic data processing from BRGM and IGN.
BLUEMAPPING
Founded in November 2022, BLUEMAPPING is a Paris-based company specialising in the rapid simulation of rainfall run-off, a phenomenon that is still poorly understood, yet which accounts for more than 60% of flood disasters in France. Ultimately, BLUEMAPPING aims to develop a digital twin to simulate rainfall run-off for the whole of France, thus enabling local authorities to forestall and manage this phenomenon in real time. Using data from IGN (topography, land use, socio-economic stakes, vulnerability, metadata) and BRGM (information on the subsurface for infiltration modelling), BLUEMAPPING aims to automate its data preparation process on a national scale. The Digital Twin project for rainwater run-off should provide accurate, rapid, large-scale, new information for public authorities and the general interest.
BIOCEANOR
Specialising in solutions for monitoring and managing aquatic ecosystems, BIOCEANOR, based in Sophia-Antipolis since its founding in 2018, combines expertise in artificial intelligence and biology to develop tailored forecasting models, primarily for the needs of aquaculture. It is already supported by IFREMER and is also established abroad, notably in Norway and South America. Its Inneauv project, PREMICE, aims to develop a model for predicting the risks of microbiological contamination based on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water and artificial intelligence. It will be made available via an intuitive, modular display tool that can be customised for local authorities, managers and the general public, providing real-time access to forecasts, risks and corresponding recommendations. It will mostly be used for coastal tourist areas. BIOCEANOR would like to use IGN and BRGM data to reconstruct cycles upstream of the estuary, relating to contamination.
AUYAN
AUYAN, a young start-up founded in 2023 in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, specialises in the development and implementation of innovative mine-monitoring solutions based on remote sensing and AI. By tracking environmental indicators, the proposed solution will be used to locate illegal mining installations and monitor the impact of legal operations. Following a major project in French Guiana, which focused on resolving data quality issues relating to cloud cover and image resolution, AUYAN is currently working on a project to detect illegal activities in Senegal. As part of its support, the start-up wants to make greater use of IGN data (digital terrain models, watercourses, borders, etc.) and BRGM data (subsurface data, but above all study data from French Guiana), to test its tools and enable its solution to be deployed in French Guiana.
LEAKMITED
The Paris-based company, LEAKMITED, founded in 2019, develops AI-based solutions for public and private water operators and managers, aiming to increase the reliability of their networks beyond 90%. LEAKMITED's flagship solution enables drinking water networks to be monitored, thus focusing maintenance efforts on areas with a high risk of leakage. Its innovative AI detects the 20 to 30% of the network which are responsible for 80% of leaks. This is a major challenge, since leaks account for 22% of water losses in France. LEAKMITED is committed to strengthening its tools for better resource management and to improve our understanding of the phenomena affecting networks. Using data and expertise from IGN and BRGM, the company aims to better define the environment and the issues that affect its networks: nature of the ground/subsurface, diffusion of pollution, levels and quality of aquifers, interactions with natural hazards (ground movements, shrinkage and swelling of clay, etc.).
HETWA
Founded in early 2022, the Toulouse-based start-up, HETWA, offers solutions to help manage water resources, for water managers, local authorities and the private sector. Concomitantly with its consultancy activity, HETWA has developed MEWISO, an innovative platform that is already available, enabling the continuous visualisation, assessment and anticipation of water resources, their quality and the impact of developments at different scales, drawing on frequently-updated data. As part of its incubation phase, HETWA wants to enhance its solution by assessing and anticipating water-related issues, from pollution to resource management. To do this, HETWA will use BRGM tools to incorporate the aquifer/river relationship and will call on IGN for help in managing uncertainties and qualifying the accuracy of the results provided, which require expertise in geodesy and metrology.
OPTIM.AIZE
Based in Bordeaux, OPTIM.AIZE, founded in 2021, develops digital products and solutions for processing customised geographical data, at the lowest possible cost, for stakeholders in industry, energy and the environment, in order to help them make contextualised decisions. Their Inneauv project aims to develop an integrated system using time series of ground movements, calculated using radar interferometry technology (InSAR) and AI methods to analyse and predict ground movements due to the shrinking and swelling of clay formations. To improve the results, the company would like IGN's help in exploiting HD Lidar data, land-use data (OCSGE) and land-cover data using artificial intelligence (Cosia).
The INNEAUV support offer
To help them develop their solutions, the 7 winning companies in the Inneauv call for projects will receive personalised support from the IGNfab team, IGN's project incubator, and from BRGM's innovation team, for a period of around 12 to 18 months, namely: