Google Cloud partners with Additive Catchments for AI-powered river monitoring across UK

Additive Catchments and Google Cloud have announced a strategic partnership to scale AI-powered infrastructure for monitoring and improving river health across the U.K. The collaboration, revealed at the Google Cloud Summit London, centers on Additive’s Catchment Monitoring as a Service platform, which provides real-time environmental data and early warnings for regulators, utilities and investors.

What you should know: The partnership combines Additive Catchments’ environmental expertise with Google Cloud’s technical infrastructure to create a comprehensive river monitoring system.

• The platform leverages Google Cloud technologies, including BigQuery (a data analysis tool), Vertex AI (machine learning software), Earth Engine (satellite data processing), and Looker (data visualization), to deliver high-integrity insights across river basins.
• Capgemini, a global consulting and technology services company, joins as the lead implementation partner, bringing environmental data engineering expertise to ensure reliable deployment across diverse catchments.
• The initiative aims to create a single source of truth for environmental data by integrating IoT sensors, satellite imagery and information from multiple agencies.

The big picture: This collaboration represents a civic infrastructure approach to addressing chronic environmental challenges that require coordination between government, private sector, academics and non-profits.

• “Society is incredibly good at dealing with acute problems, but we struggle with chronic issues like river health,” explained Rob Passmore, CEO of Additive Catchments, during a panel discussion at the summit.
• The comprehensive approach will enable more targeted interventions to improve water quality and ecosystem health.

Why this matters: The partnership addresses one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges by providing consistent, secure and credible data services that drive innovation in environmental decision-making.

• Majority owned by a non-profit organization, Additive Catchments focuses on restoring trust in environmental systems through independent, data-driven insights.
• The company’s River Health Index serves as a national benchmark combining environmental data and public sentiment to track progress and accountability.

What they’re saying: Industry leaders emphasize the collaborative nature and transformative potential of the initiative.

• “This alliance combines the agility and environmental expertise of Additive Catchments with the scale and technical excellence of Google Cloud,” said Rob Passmore. “It ensures clients have access to consistent, secure and credible data services, driving a new standard of innovation in environmental decision-making.”
• “We’re proud to collaborate with Additive Catchments to address one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges,” said Maureen Costello, vice president for UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud. “This work demonstrates how cloud technology can support large-scale ecosystem resilience and foster greater public trust.”