How Google & Additive Catchments Are Cleaning Rivers With AI
A new partnership unveiled at the Google Cloud Summit London aims to transform how the UK monitors and protects its rivers.
Additive Catchments and Google Cloud have announced a strategic collaboration to deliver real-time, AI-powered environmental data infrastructure at scale, a move set to strengthen water quality governance and accelerate regulatory compliance.
Digital infrastructure for cleaner healthier rivers
At the core of the partnership is CMaaS, Catchment Monitoring as a Service, the flagship platform developed by Additive Catchments.
CMaaS provides a continuous, diagnostic view of river systems using environmental data, predictive AI and dynamic dashboards.
The service enables decision-makers to anticipate pollution risks, monitor compliance and manage catchments more effectively.
Powered by Google Cloud technologies including BigQuery, Vertex AI, Earth Engine and Looker, the platform offers high-integrity insights across entire river basins.
These tools ensure data is both reliable and instantly available, a major leap from traditional, often fragmented water monitoring systems.
“By combining the agility and environmental expertise of Additive Catchments with the scale and technical excellence of Google Cloud, we’re ensuring clients have access to consistent, secure and credible data services,” says Rob Passmore, CEO of Additive Catchments.
“This partnership sets a new standard for environmental decision-making.”
Scaling for impact
To deliver CMaaS at scale, Additive Catchments has partnered with global consultancy Capgemini as lead implementation and cloud integration partner.
Capgemini brings extensive experience in environmental data engineering, digital governance and AI transformation, supporting seamless deployment across diverse catchments.
Joining the ecosystem are also key partners such as Siemens, AtkinsRéalis and The Rivers Trust, creating a multi-disciplinary delivery framework designed for long-term, systemic impact.
“By combining the scale of Google Cloud, the delivery power of Capgemini and the intelligence of Additive Catchments, we're establishing a world-class foundation for scalable water resilience,” says Quinton Davies, Chief Technology Officer at Additive Catchments.
“This is not just a UK solution – it's a globally exportable model for digital catchment management.”
Rebuilding trust in environmental systems
The announcement comes at a time when confidence in water governance is under increasing scrutiny.
With environmental standards tightening and public concern mounting over pollution and biodiversity loss, demand is rising for transparent, trustworthy monitoring systems.
CMaaS directly responds to these pressures.
It supports regulators, utilities, investors and communities by delivering shared, verifiable data – enabling more confident action, greater accountability and faster progress towards cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Additive Catchments to address one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges,” says Maureen Costello, Vice President, UKI and SSA at Google Cloud.
“This work is a clear example of how cloud technology, applied responsibly, can support large-scale ecosystem resilience and foster greater public trust.”
An era of catchment management
The collaboration reflects a broader shift in environmental infrastructure: away from siloed interventions and towards integrated, data-led, AI-enabled systems that facilitate collective stewardship.
CMaaS sets a precedent for how civic ventures, cloud hyperscalers and system integrators can co-create tools that meet both regulatory and community expectations.
Additive Catchments’ mission-led structure, majority owned by non-profit interests, further underlines its commitment to long-term public benefit.
Through initiatives like the River Health Index, it is working to reconnect stakeholders around transparent insight, shared goals and trusted leadership.
