José Solís, Director of CEMOSA R&D&I: “The support of CDTI Innovation is fundamental to transform water management and anticipate the risks of climate change”

The hydraulic infrastructure sector is facing an unprecedented transformation driven by digitalisation and climate urgency. In this scenario, the efficient and sustainable management of water resources has become a strategic priority at a global level. With more than 50 years of experience, the Malaga company CEMOSA is at the forefront of this transition, acting as a reference in the evolution of traditional engineering towards a technological and connected one.

Precisely within the framework of this evolution is integrated its latest project, financed by the CDTI through the Science and Innovation Missions grants that seek to promote collaborative R+D+I projects that propose solutions to transversal and strategic challenges for society.

The goal of E-HYDRO is to change the rules of the game: “to move from reactive management to a real prevention strategy against droughts and floods”, highlights José Solís, R+D+i director of CEMOSA, who leads the consortium of which the companies ADASA, Aeroláser and INSITU are part, and 3 public bodies; the Applied Geotechnologies Research Group (GeoTech) of the University of Vigo, the TIDOP research group of the University of Salamanca and the IDAEA-CSIC.

More than 50 years of technical evolution and global solidity

The origins of the Centre for Materials Studies and Construction Control, S.A. date back to 1972 in Malaga. Born by three experts in construction materials, Luis Jiménez Zamorano, Juan Durán and José María Frade, the company emerged in a context of strong expansion in Spain, where private and public construction urgently demanded independent mechanisms of quality control and technical supervision.

Over the years, the company expanded its value chain. In 1980 he created the area of civil engineering to offer integral services and, from the years 2000, expanded his delegations to address its internationalization in 2011. Today, CEMOSA is a global family business operating in more than 20 countries.

José Solís points out that, in this evolution, a fundamental milestone was the creation of his R+D+I department in 2007. “The commitment to R+D+I has allowed CEMOSA to anticipate the engineering challenges of the 21st century; incorporate capabilities in BIM, digitalization, artificial intelligence or digital twins; participate in innovation projects and position itself in the sector; and evolve from traditional engineering to technological and innovative engineering.”

Para el director de I+D+i, la clave de su trayectoria es clara: “CEMOSA has grown not because of sudden changes, but because of a coherent evolution: maintaining a technical basis in quality control, and progressively expanding its value chain towards engineering, certification and sustainability. The balance between specialization and innovation is probably the key to its long-term sustainability.”

E-HYDRO project: the digital twin of our rivers

E-HYDRO responds to a latent challenge in current water management: the volume of data required is very high and they are often dispersed in independent systems, which makes real-time analysis difficult and slows down emergency response.

To solve this problem, E-HYDRO is working on the development of a digital platform that creates a digital twin of the river basin and the waterway. “In short, we are developing a virtual representation of the basin, known as the digital twin, which gathers data and analysis from various sources such as satellites, sensors, LiDAR, hydrological models, climate information and water quality data,” explains Solís. This tool allows you to convert isolated data into useful knowledge for making quick and informed decisions.

The E-HYDRO platform integrates maps and data to analyze surface water quality in real time

The use of advanced LiDAR technology makes a big difference within the platform. This system works by means of laser pulses that generate a 3D map of millimetric precision of the terrain, including channels, infrastructures and flood zones. Its great value is that it combines two types of scanning: one terrestrial for difficult access areas and another aquatic, capable of crossing shallow water to faithfully model the bottom of the reservoirs or the banks of the rivers.

E-HYDRO does not intend to replace the existing systems, but to complement them and offer a complete and systemic vision of the entire basin. “It is not only about knowing what is happening at a specific point, but also understanding how the system as a whole evolves: the waterway, water resources, infrastructure, land uses and the associated risks,” explains the executive.

From reactive management to prevention in the face of extreme events

Thanks to this digital twin developed by E-HYDRO, administrations and responsible entities will be able to move from reactive management to a predictive and preventive strategy that allows to make better decisions, prioritize actions and increase the resilience of territories against extreme phenomena.

For example, in the case of prolonged droughts, the platform allows cross-analysis of the evolution of reserves, underground recharge and consumption demands, facilitating efficient planning and locating the areas of greatest vulnerability. In the case of floods, the virtualization of the river network combines meteorological and topographic information to identify in advance the exposed areas, thus protecting urban centers, critical infrastructures and agricultural spaces.

Public-private partnership driven by the CDTI Innovation

The scope of this project has required a coordinated effort under a model of advanced scientific-business collaboration. The E-HYDRO consortium is coordinated by CEMOSA and consists of four leading companies in the technology sector: CEMOSA, ADASA, Aeroláser and INSITU. These firms work in close cooperation with three public research bodies of the highest prestige in Spain: the research group in Applied Geotechnologies (GeoTech) of the University of Vigo, the research group TIDOP of the University of Salamanca and the IDAEA-CSIC.

This public-private structure ensures that the methodologies born in the field of scientific research are quickly transformed into tools applicable to real market problems, boosting competitiveness and retaining specialized technical talent.

Members of the E-HYDRO project consortium

Within this framework, the support of CDTI Innovation has been a fundamental strategic pillar for CEMOSA and the E-HYDRO consortium. “It allows us to approach R&D&I projects with a higher level of ambition, assume technological risks that would be difficult to face individually and accelerate the development of solutions with real application in the market,” says the director.

For the company, this public incentive goes far beyond the financing of a specific project. “It helps us to strengthen internal capacities, generate new knowledge, develop our own technology and prepare solutions that will have continuity in the future,” says José Solís. “It is the definitive lever to continue moving towards a more digital, competitive and oriented engineering to solve the great challenges of society,” he adds.

In addition, this technology initiative is directly aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda. By optimizing water resources and improving disaster response, E-HYDRO contributes directly to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), while its commitment to digitization in civil works drives SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), making data engineering a key ally for global sustainability.

Challenges for the future: a data-driven engineering

According to the director of R+D+I, in the coming years, CEMOSA’s strategy is oriented towards the consolidation of digital platforms, advanced data analysis and digital twins as standards applicable to the entire life cycle of infrastructures, from their planning and design to their maintenance.

Beyond water management, the objectives of the company are to optimize the efficiency of resources and energy in urban environments and develop dual solutions that serve the civil and military sector in the protection of critical infrastructures. With more than half a century of history, CEMOSA’s goal remains clear. “Innovation must serve to improve the quality of services, increase the competitiveness of the company and contribute to the development of more efficient, safe and prepared infrastructures for the challenges of the future,” he concludes.
 

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the CDTI provided 2,423 million euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.

 
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