ABAS Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas / IAH Brazilian Chapter

What ABAS Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas / IAH Brazilian Chapter does

ABAS (Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas), also operating as the Brazilian Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH-BR), is a private non-profit civil association founded on October 10, 1978, headquartered at the Institute of Geosciences of the University of São Paulo (USP). The association's mission centers on the study, research, prospecting, use, preservation, technology, and management of Brazil's groundwater resources, serving approximately 1,000-2,400 members including hydrogeologists, researchers, professors, water-well drilling companies, and students across Brazil through regional chapters.

The association's product portfolio centers on five interconnected offerings: (1) the peer-reviewed scientific journal 'Revista Águas Subterrâneas', published via the Open Journal Systems (OJS 3.3.0.20) open-source platform and indexed in Scopus, DOAJ, Latindex, and Google Scholar; (2) the CABAS (Congresso Brasileiro de Águas Subterrâneas) and CIMAS (Congresso Internacional de Meio Ambiente Subterrâneo) congresses; (3) the Credenciamento program, which awards the 'Selo de Confiabilidade' (Reliability Seal) to accredited companies and professionals; (4) the ABAS Jovem youth engagement program with tiered pricing for students and early-career hydrogeologists; and (5) IAH-BR chapter affiliation that extends membership benefits internationally.

Revenue is generated through three streams: annual individual membership dues (R$75-R$200 across ABAS Jovem tiers, with exemptions for low-income students), corporate sponsor packages (Pessoa Jurídica) at Ouro and Prata tiers providing mailing-list access, content publication rights, and speaking opportunities, and event revenue from the CABAS and CIMAS congresses. Distribution is conducted through the associados.abas.org self-serve member portal, the aguassubterraneas.abas.org open-access journal platform, and direct enrollment at association events, supported by an active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Name

ABAS Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas / IAH Brazilian Chapter

Legal name

Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas

Website

https://abas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ABAS is a Brazilian non-profit professional association, founded in 1978 and headquartered at USP in São Paulo, that serves approximately 1,000-2,400 hydrogeologists, researchers, professors, drilling companies, and students through scientific publishing, the CABAS/CIMAS congresses, and a Credenciamento accreditation program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees from individuals (profissionais), corporate sponsors (sócios patrocinadores), and young professional categories (ABAS Jovem). Benefits include discounts on events, publications, and professional network access.
2. Corporate sponsorship packages: Corporate sponsor membership (Pessoa Jurídica) with exclusive benefits including content publication, mailing list access, speaking opportunities at events, advertising in ABA NEWS, sponsorship discounts, and event invitations.
3. Event revenue: Revenue from organizing and hosting events including the CABAS (Congresso Brasileiro de Águas Subterrâneas) and CIMAS (Congresso Internacional de Meio Ambiente Subterrâneo).

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ABAS is a non-profit professional association that provides membership services for groundwater professionals, hydrogeologists, researchers, and companies in Brazil. Its core offerings include annual membership subscriptions, the open-access scientific journal Águas Subterrâneas, national and international congresses (CABAS and CIMAS), and the Credenciamento industry accreditation program that awards a Reliability Seal to qualifying hydrogeology companies.

Product overview

ABAS (Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas) operates as a non-profit professional association focused on groundwater research, conservation, and sustainable use. The organization functions as a unified platform combining scientific publication (Revista Águas Subterrâneas journal via Open Journal Systems), professional events (CABAS and CIMAS congresses), industry certification (Credenciamento program), and youth engagement (ABAS Jovem). The association also serves as the Brazilian Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH-BR). All offerings are interconnected through the member portal at associados.abas.org, with the scientific journal at aguassubterraneas.abas.org.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CABAS – Congresso Brasileiro de Águas Subterrâneas: The Brazilian Congress of Groundwater - ABAS's major annual technical-scientific congress.
• CIMAS – Congresso Internacional de Meio Ambiente Subterrâneo
• Águas Subterrâneas (Revista)
• ABAS Jovem

Products and services

• Revista Águas Subterrâneas (Águas Subterrâneas Journal) An open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal for publishing original and unpublished articles on hydrogeology and related topics, indexed in major international databases (Scopus, DOAJ, Latindex, Google Scholar). Serves hydrogeology researchers and academics worldwide.
• CABAS - Congresso Brasileiro de Águas Subterrâneas The Brazilian Congress on Groundwater, the largest event in the Brazilian groundwater sector, featuring technical-scientific presentations, round tables, courses, and exhibitions. Serves groundwater professionals, researchers, and companies.
• CIMAS - Congresso Internacional de Meio Ambiente Subterrâneo International Congress on Subterranean Environment focused on integrating actions for soil and groundwater protection with water resource management. Serves international and Brazilian stakeholders in groundwater and environmental sciences.
• Programa de Credenciamento ABAS A qualification program that awards a Reliability Seal (Selo de Confiabilidade) to companies and professionals across multiple segments of the hydrogeology sector, including accredited well drilling companies. Serves hydrogeology companies seeking industry credibility and certification.
• ABAS Jovem Membership Program Annual membership tier for early-career hydrogeologists, undergraduate and graduate students, and young professionals within 5 years of graduation, offering discounted membership rates and exclusive event activities.
• Associação IAH-BR - Capítulo Brasileiro da Associação Internacional de Hidrogeólogos The Brazilian Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), automatically granting international IAH membership to all ABAS associates and affiliates with access to IAH events and benefits.
• Sócios Patrocinadores (Corporate Sponsor Membership) Corporate sponsor membership (Pessoa Jurídica) with exclusive benefits including content publication rights, mailing list access, speaking opportunities at events, advertising in ABA NEWS, event sponsorship discounts, and event invitations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Professional certification through Credenciamento program qualifies companies and professionals in well construction and hydrogeological services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IAH - International Association of Hydrogeologists (Brazilian Chapter)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978ABAS hosts the Brazilian Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH-BR). All ABAS members and affiliates automatically become members of IAH-BR and by extension IAH International, gaining access to IAH events and benefits. The partnership represents the official Brazilian national chapter of the global hydrogeology organization.
• ALHSUD BrasilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALHSUD Brasil (Latin American Association of Groundwater and Underground Environment) is another regional groundwater association affiliated with ABAS under the international/partnerships section of the website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Australian Hydrogeological Society: A national IAH-affiliated professional body in Australia with a structure almost identical to ABAS, providing membership, conferences and publications to hydrogeologists in its country. Highly comparable in mission and operating model though geographically distinct.
• Canadian National Chapter of IAH (IAH-CNC): The Canadian National Chapter of IAH operates with the same national-chapter structure as ABAS, providing comparable services to hydrogeologists in Canada through affiliation with the parent IAH organization.
• Groundwater Research Association (Australia): An Australia-based research-focused association that promotes groundwater science and professional development, sharing comparable goals with ABAS in advancing the hydrogeology field through research funding and community building.

Direct peers

• Associação Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos (ABRH): The Brazilian Association of Water Resources is the closest Brazilian peer to ABAS, also operating as a professional membership association in the water sector. ABRH covers the broader water resources domain while ABAS specializes in groundwater, but they compete for similar members and sponsors.
• Sociedade Brasileira de Geologia (SBG): The Brazilian Geological Society operates as a national scientific/professional association with a near-identical structure to ABAS, including membership tiers, peer-reviewed journals, and an annual congress. SBG covers broader geosciences while ABAS specializes in groundwater.
• ALHSUD (Asociación Latinoamericana de Hidrología Subterránea para el Desarrollo): The Latin American Association of Groundwater and Underground Environment is a regional peer organization already affiliated with ABAS. ALHSUD focuses on groundwater management across Latin America with a similar professional society mission and overlapping membership base.
• National Ground Water Association (NGWA): The leading US-based professional association for groundwater professionals. NGWA is directly comparable to ABAS as both operate as membership organizations offering certification, publications, conferences and advocacy for hydrogeology professionals, just serving different national markets.
• The Groundwater Foundation: A US-based nonprofit focused on groundwater education and awareness, comparable to ABAS in mission and structure as a nonprofit advocating for groundwater protection, though with greater emphasis on public outreach than scientific research.

Broad incumbents

• International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH): IAH is the global parent organization of which ABAS serves as the Brazilian chapter. Both share the mission of advancing hydrogeology worldwide, with IAH operating internationally and ABAS at the national level with effectively overlapping programming.
• European Federation of Geologists (EFG): A broader geological professional association operating at the European level, EFG is comparable to ABAS in offering professional credentialing and accreditation programs for geoscientists, though with a wider scope than hydrogeology alone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abas_sede
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ABASAguasSubterraneas
• Facebookfacebook.com/abas.sede
• Instagraminstagram.com/br.abas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/associacaobrasileiradeaguassubterraneas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ABAS Associação Brasileira de Águas Subterrâneas / IAH Brazilian Chapter