How can we turn complex environmental data into stories that help people understand Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and their real-world benefits?
This was the central question explored by Libra AI Technologies at the 19th IWA International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control (ICWS 2026), held in Chania, Crete, from 13 to 17 September 2026.
On 16/09, our Junior Data Scientist, Konstantinos Kaimakis, presented the CARDIMED Insights Hub, an interactive digital platform designed to make environmental data and information about Nature-based Solutions more accessible to citizens, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders.
Understanding Nature-based Solutions and why they matter
Nature-based Solutions (NBS) use natural processes to address environmental and societal challenges, including water pollution, flooding, drought and biodiversity loss.
For example, wetlands can help improve water quality, while restoring natural landscapes can support water management and healthier ecosystems.
But how do we communicate these benefits to people who do not work with environmental data every day?
Monitoring NBS generates valuable environmental data, but technical indicators and complex graphs do not always make their real-world meaning clear. Citizens and decision-makers need to understand what the data shows, why it matters and how it relates to environmental challenges.
This is where data storytelling comes in.
By combining scientific evidence with visualisation and clear explanations, data stories can help people understand not only what is happening, but also why it matters.
The CARDIMED Insights Hub: From data to understanding
Developed within the Horizon Europe CARDIMED project, the CARDIMED Insights Hub supports the communication of Nature-based Solutions and climate resilience knowledge across the Mediterranean region.
The Hub brings together two complementary ways of exploring environmental information:
Interactive dashboards allow users to explore monitoring data, environmental indicators and NBS-related information in greater detail.
Data stories turn selected data and scientific findings into accessible narratives, providing context and explaining the relevance of the information.
For example, a graph might show changes in water quality over time. A data story can help explain what those changes mean, how they relate to an environmental intervention and why they matter to a local community.
At ICWS 2026, Libra AI Technologies presented the Hub's content and functionality, including:
- 9 demonstration sites
- 17 regions
- 6 data stories
- 46 interactive dashboards
Through this combination of data exploration and storytelling, the Hub aims to connect scientific knowledge with the people who can benefit from it.
Designing digital tools with users in mind
Making environmental data accessible is not only about how it is presented. It is also about how people interact with it.
As part of the Hub's development, early user testing provided initial feedback on its usability.
The results presented at ICWS 2026 were based on 19 users who tested the Hub and rated its clarity and responsiveness 4–5 out of 5. In addition, 14 of the 19 users said they would use it again.
Although preliminary, these findings offer useful feedback for the Hub's continued development and reflect a key principle behind our work: technology should be designed around the people who use it.
Whether someone is a researcher analysing indicators, a policymaker exploring environmental evidence or a citizen learning about Nature-based Solutions, the experience should help them find and understand information relevant to their needs.
Bridging science and society through digital storytelling
For Libra AI Technologies, the CARDIMED Insights Hub brings together data science, interactive visualisation and digital storytelling to make scientific information more accessible, combining technical expertise with user-centred design.
Rather than simply presenting more data, we aim to help users understand the environmental challenges being addressed, explore the evidence behind different Nature-based Solutions and recognise their potential benefits.
This approach can also provide useful lessons for other research and innovation projects looking to communicate complex scientific results to wider audiences.
Connecting the dots
Our participation in ICWS 2026 was an opportunity to share the CARDIMED Insights Hub with an international community working on wetland systems, Nature-based Solutions and sustainable water management.
At Libra AI Technologies, we believe that the value of data lies not only in collecting and analysing it, but also in making it understandable and useful.
Through the CARDIMED Insights Hub, we are working to connect environmental evidence with real-life challenges, helping more people understand the role Nature-based Solutions can play in building climate resilience.
Because understanding the data is the first step towards putting knowledge into action.