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“Similar”, the medicine of the pre-alpine lakes

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“Similar”, the medicine of the pre-alpine lakes

Varese – An initiative of citizen science in favor of the pre-alpine lakes, thanks to the use of a normal smartphone app. It is the goal of “Simile», Acronym which means« Information System for the Integrated Monitoring of Insubric Lakes and their Ecosystems ». It is a project cross-border, funded under the Interreg Italy-Switzerland 2014-2020 Cooperation Program. The territory of the province of Varese is the protagonist: the geographical area involved is in fact that of Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, together with the nearby Lake Como.

The idea behind the planning is as simple as it is important: lakes are a fundamental resource for the border area between Italia e Swiss and the quality of their waters must be protected from the growing risks due to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. The main objective of «simile» is to support decision making and the definition of management policies through an advanced information system based on data from innovative monitoring systems.

In detail, we will then analyze a series of indicators on quality of the lakes, starting from satellite images and parameters provided by sensors installed on buoys positioned in the water. But the extra push is the one that will come from citizenswho will be involved directly to participate in the data collection campaign. Through a free smartphone app, «Similar Lake Monitoring», Already available on the Ios and Android stores, anyone can in fact make their contribution by sending photographs, observations (presence of algae, foam or waste) and parameter measurements (transparency, temperature and pH of the water).

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A participatory approach to involve everyone in the important theme of defense of the territory and lakes in particular. Thanks to the information collected, the monitoring system will make it possible to identify possible critical issues in a timely and timely manner, using a methodology shared between Italy and Switzerland. Through the involvement of associations, research bodies and citizens, the drafting of guidelines for water management and the future challenges that the large subalpine lakes will be called upon to face can become reality. The project, developed by Politecnico di Milano with the support of Water Research Institute of the Cnr Irsa and of Arpa Lombardia, was recently illustrated to the population of Luino in a meeting at the Teatro Sociale.


Encourage tourism

A new vocation for an area between lakes and mountains, in favor of increasingly seasonally adjusted and medium-stay presences. This is the objective of the integrated tourism development plan launched by the Valli del Verbano mountain community, which aims to encourage tourism in the Upper Varese area. The institution involved two universities, Insubria di Varese and Politecnico di Milano, in a research activity for the elaboration of proposals for tourism development.

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