The SAPPHIRE Central Asia project brought together water experts, hydrologists, and representatives from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services across Central Asia for its 2025 Annual Project Meeting from October 27-29 in the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. The three-day workshop gathered Hydromet participants and representatives from hydropower and emergency services to review progress on digital operational hydrology tools and hydrological forecasting systems that support water resource management across the region.
Implemented by hydrosolutions GmbH and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SAPPHIRE Central Asia is developing integrated tools for snow and glacier monitoring, digital operational hydrology workflows, and state-of-the-art AI/machine learning-based discharge forecasting across more than 500 river basins in the region, covering more than 3.6 million km². The workshop featured interactive demonstrations of the iEasyHydro HF application for data management and exchange, presentations on SnowMapper and MODSNOW snow monitoring systems, and reviews of machine learning-based discharge forecasting performance for short and long-term forecasts. Participants engaged in hands-on training sessions and discussions on testing strategies and long-term sustainability as the project approaches its completion in 2026, with the goal of modernising operational hydrology and improving water allocation for agriculture, energy, and disaster risk reduction across Central Asia.
