CNR-IRPI (Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection) is one of the 109 Institutes of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the largest public research institution in Italy, the only one under the Research Ministry performing multidisciplinary activities.

CNR-IRPI (Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection) is one of the 109 Institutes of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the largest public research institution in Italy, the only one under the Research Ministry performing multidisciplinary activities. IRPI is under the Department of the Earth System Sciences and Technologies for the Environment.

The Hydrology Research Group of IRPI has an internationally recognized excellence on topics of geo-hydrological hazards assessment, hydraulic hazard evaluation, flood risk management and application of remote sensing observation into hydrologic/hydraulic modelling. IRPI-Hydrology has an internationally recognized excellence on the exploitation of remote sensing and ground observations for improving our understanding of hydrological processes as well as advancing hydrological/hydraulic modelling for the mitigation of natural hazards such as floods, landslides and drought. IRPI-Hydrology operates on all time and geographical scales, and in different climatic, physiographic and geological regions. The Hydrology Research Group is composed of seven researchers, one technician, five research grant holders and two scholarship holders. During the last five years (2015-2019), Hydrology Research Group has produced 103 papers on the above subjects published in ISI journals and has provided technical/scientific support for authorities in charge of land planning and protection. It is involved in several research projects in the frame of Italian and European programs, also through research collaborations with institutes located in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and Australia.

IRPI-Hydrology is involved in several projects and activities containing satellite observations. Among these activities, IRPI-Hydrology participated as PI and co-PI to “DTE Hydrology”, “Irrigation+”, “RIDESAT”, “STREAM”, “STREAMRIDE”, “St3TAR”, “FDR4ALT”, “HYDROCOASTAL”, “WACMOS-irrigation”, “COMMONs”, “SMOS+rainfall I and II”, “WACMOS-MED”, and “Climate Change Initiative Phase I Soil Moisture” projects by ESA. IRPI-Hydrology is involved in the "Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H SAF)" and in “GLOBAL SM2RAIN” projects funded by EUMETSAT, it is an Early Adopter of the SMAP (Soil Moisture Active and Passive) mission, and it is involved as collaborators for the forthcoming SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) mission by NASA.