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The SMART research project will develop a suite of highly innovative methods for characterising New Zealand's groundwater systems. Traditional" methods for aquifer mapping and characterisation exist, but they are prohibitively time consuming and too costly for wide scale application. The new methods to be used will be prioritised through stakeholder consultation but may include ambient noise seismic tomography; airborne geophysical surveying; satellite remote sensing; fibre optic temperature sensing; and novel age tracers (see table).

The emphasis will be on techniques that provide accurate data "passively", meaning that they rely on existing data sources wherever possible, or on new measurements that can be made over large areas with little effort and minimal cost. Validation will be achieved by use of multiple methods in case study areas (yet to be selected) and by "ground-truthing" to existing data obtained from traditional methods. Overarching research will be undertaken to develop 1) a consistent objective framework for quantification of uncertainty, and 2) a web portal and harmonised 3D groundwater database that will meet stakeholder needs for open access, ease of use, and interoperability with existing systems.