The LODESTAR project kicked off with a successful meeting in India from 14 to 15 February 2025. Organized by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, the meeting brought together project members from both India and the Netherlands (IISc-B, IIT-G, IIT-T, CSTEP, NIDM, Meta-meta, and WU), together with representatives from Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), Deputy Consul, Consulate-general of the Netherlands, and board members. LODESTAR aims to develop a multi hazards early warning system by integrating low-cost sensors for hydro-meteorological data assimilation and combining AI/ML with process-based climate, hydrologic, and hydraulic models. This approach seeks to enhance lead times, improve reliability and accuracy, and ultimately strengthen the resilience of at-risk communities.
From ESC, Samuel and Spyros participated as WP2 and WP4 leaders and from SDC group, Jeroen and Sumit represented Dutch PI and WP5 leader, respectively. Day one focused on project introductions, WP planning, and gathering insights from operational EWSs in India. The second day was dedicated to internal discussions where each WP could dive deeper into practical challenges and planning. By the end of the meeting, we all agreed that these two days project meeting in-person had been far more productive than many online meetings we had before. Stronger bonds were formed among project members, fueling our motivation to collaborate and create meaningful societal impact in both India and the Netherlands.
Dr. Samuel Jonson Sutanto 
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