Interactive information point about geothermal applications in Central-Eastern Europe

Abstract

In Poland complex and reliable information about places with geothermal applications in Europe is either fragmented or published in expert’s magazines. For consumers some information about geothermal swimming pools is mostly given on commercial web sites, or in some articles and reports. There are few reliable sources of information about geothermal heating plants for non-specialists in this field. More reliable information is given about spa resorts where geothermal water is used for treatment. In Poland, the information are mostly connected with the national health-care system. The project presented below was created to join three geothermal water applications: heating, recreation and treatment in a wider area. At the beginning, the area will be narrowed down the Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In the future there are plans to develop the project and include other countries from Europe to the project. An information point will be created. It will be an interactive tool to show the most essential geothermal information. On the map, the exact position of the geothermal institutions, will be marked, the users will be able to obtain more precise information by clicking or touching the screen. Each geothermal heating plant will be profiled by geothermal water temperature, depth of the aquifer, water TDS and flow rate, capacity and heat energy use. The information about geothermal swimming pools and aqua parks will include the temperature of geothermal water, TDS, the composition and type of water used in swimming pools and their infrastructure. If the water is used for treatment, the indications and contraindications for bathing in the water will be also highlighted. The information point will enable searching and classifying the information by given criteria, such as the type of geothermal water, the level of mineralization and the temperature of the water, the specific area of the country, the infrastructure of the swimming pools or aqua parks, etc. It will allow to compare some water applications in different locations. It's friendly software will make research quick and easy. The information point will be a great opportunity to propagate geothermal applications, first from Central-East Europe, and then entire Europe in the future. The information will be updated each year.