Development of Methodology for Monitoring and Assessment of Hydromorphological Characteristics of Watercourses (HYMOS)
What is the HYMOS Project about?
The HYMOS project responds to the long-term unsatisfactory situation in the monitoring of hydromorphological characteristics of flowing waters in the Czech Republic, as a partial component of the overall ecological status assessment of water bodies, which is an obligation for EU member states arising from the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC.
The main goal of the project was to develop a new methodological procedure and supporting software for comprehensive assessment of the current hydromorphological status of water bodies, which would comply with the requirements of the European Commission and allows effective and sufficiently high-quality monitoring.
Main benefits of the HYMOS project include:
- Increased efficiency of ecological status/potential assessment of water bodies
- Saving time and financial resources in water body assessments, which is an obligation for watercourse managers
- Implementation of the latest knowledge and valid technical standards
- Use of current high-resolution data that improve assessment quality
▶ What is hydromorphological assessment?
Project Outputs
The main outputs of the project are the Methodology for assesing the hydromorphological status of water bodies in the Czech Republic (methodology approved by the Ministry of the Environment under reference number MZP/2025/640/526), software for automated assessment, and database of hydromorphological parameters. Furthermore, there are specialized maps, publications, and a workshop.
Automated Hydromorphological Assessment Software for Watercourses
(output R – specialized software)
- The main purpose of the application is the fast and consistent evaluation of the hydromorphological status of a watercourse, according to the developed HYMOS methodology (Babej et al., 2024).
- The software interface allows users to combine pre-prepared data from remote sensing analysis with their own field observations.
- The application is one of the main outputs of the HYMOS project and is developed fully in accordance with the prepared evaluation methodology within this project.
- The final solution represents a web-based application that operates 24/7. The application is based on a web app concept with an ultra-thin client, where users only need a standard graphical web browser without any plugins. The application is publicly accessible, but full functionality requires authorization.
Database of Hydromorphological Parameters
(output S – specialized public database)
- This is a specialized, publicly accessible database containing newly derived information for calculating the current hydromorphological status of watercourses.
- The data included are the output of synthesis of multiple input remote sensing data – a combination of freely available data and data sources created during this project.
- Information is derived and available separately for individual water bodies in the Czech Republic, identified by the Water Body Identifier (UPOV_ID).
- Water bodies were subdivided based on hydromorphological analysis into more detailed reaches identified by the Water Body Reaches Identifier and sequential section number starting from the water body origin (ID of the body).
Methodology for Evaluation of Hydromorphological Status of Water Bodies in the Czech Republic
(output NmetS)
- Methodological procedure for evaluation of the current hydromorphological status of river waterbodies, based on a combination of remote sensing data (freely available open data sources), data created during the project (available from the public database), and data collected during field surveys.
- The selection of individual assessed indicators complies with the requirements of European and national directives and methodological documents (CIS, CEN standards).
Partial Outputs
Workshop
(output O – other)
- On Wednesday, 30 October 2024, a workshop was held at the Ministry of the Environment for those interested in applying the newly developed methodology in practice, organized in cooperation with the Water Protection Department of the Ministry.
- A total of 34 participants attended, representing state enterprises Povodí, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Conservation Agency, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, state enterprise Forests of the Czech Republic, and other public research institutions as well as private entities.
- The workshop was designed as an informational seminar (lectures on details of the new methodology, setting of evaluation indicators, supporting software, and database as key project outputs). An important part of the workshop was the presentation of the software solution’s functionalities.
- The second part of the workshop was dedicated to discussion between participants and project implementers to collect feedback from future users (who had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the working version of the methodology and database before the event), and the collected suggestions were incorporated into the final project outputs.
Assessment of Selected Water Body Reaches by Hydromorphological Components
(output Nmap)
Maps of hydromorphological status assessments on selected reaches of water bodies in the Czech Republic.
Publication Outputs
(result Jost)
Babej, J., Jakubínský, J., Pechanec, V., Kožený, P., Němejcová, D., Vyvlečka, P. 2025. Hodnocení hydromorfologického stavu vodních útvarů tekoucích vod povrchových v České republice metodikou HYMOS. VTEI, 67(2), 30–40. Ke stažení
Jakubínský, Jiří - Babej, Ján - Němejcová, D. - Pechanec, V. - Kožený, P. (2023): Vzniká nový přístup k hodnocení hydromorfologického stavu vodních útvarů v České republice. [A new methodology to the assessment of the hydromorphological status of water bodies in the Czech Republic is emerging.] Vodní hospodářství. Roč. 73, č. 11 (2023), s. 25-27. ISSN 1211-0760. Ke stažení
About the project
- Project identification code: SS05010135
- Provider: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic within the Environment for Life program
- Project duration: 1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
Partners and contacts
Global Change Research Institute CAS, Department of ecosystem functional analysis of the landscape
RNDr. Jiří Jakubínský, Ph.D. - principal investigator
Bělidla 986/4a
603 00 Brno
e-mail: jakubinsky.j(at)czechglobe.cz
Palacký university Olomouc - Faculty of Science, Department of Geoinformatics
prof. RNDr. Vilém Pechanec, Ph.D. - team leader
17. listopadu 50
771 46 Olomouc
T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute
Department of hydrobiology – RNDr. Denisa Němejcová - team leader
Department of Aquatic Ecosystems Protection – Mgr. Pavel Kožený
Mojmírovo náměstí 16
612 00 Brno – Královo Pole