Site Banner 2013

Theme of the second edition of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge was AUSTRALIA WATER SMART.

A key area in which Australia and the Netherlands are working together is building a strong information chain for water and climate related problems. This chain consists of data collection, data processing, data storage, data analysis and modelling and the development of smart applications to support decision-making for water managers, policy makers, residents, farmers, business owners, etc.

Several cooperative initiatives are already underway between Australian and Dutch organisations to establish this information chain, building on platforms such as HydroNET (www.hydronet.com) and Delft-FEWS (www.delft-fews.com).

Image Apps

The focus of this second Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge was on two specific dimensions of the information chain:
(1) The potential of social media as a source of data (crowd-sourcing), and;
(2) The potential of apps that enable people to make better informed water-related decisions.


NRT Twitter Data Mapping Solution

An innovative design platform that facilitates the analysis and mapping of massive volumes of twitter data in near real-time to support emergency response activities during flooding disasters has won the 2nd edition of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge.

The solution called "Operational Twitelligence" by a team of students from RMIT and the University of Melbourne was presented at the International Riversymposium in Brisbane on 25 September. The team consisting of Paul Munro, Dan Peade and Damian Meoli competed for the award against three other teams who had emerged as finalists after a 5-month competition that involved students from 9 universities across Australia. The award was presented to the winners by Julie McLellan, CEO of Healthy Waterways and chair of the judging panel.

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Says the winning team: "Being part of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge has been an illuminating and fun experience. We've had the chance to work with the foremost experts in the industry and were really impressed by the quality of the other finalists. We're looking forward to making the most of the opportunity to take our idea to the next level."

The other ideas competing in the finals included the FloodHealth App by Angela Werner, University of Queensland, the Dairy Pasture Flood Irrigation App by Pieter Raedts, La Trobe University, and the WaterWatch App by Stephanie Borgonia, Emmanuel Diinis and Amanda Siqueira, University of Technology Sydney. All finalists will be given the opportunity to further develop their idea.

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“When asked if I’d like to develop my idea - of course I said “YES!”. I’d never been to Europe, or worked with smartphone applications, or worked with a Dutch company – I was terrified! Fortunately, everyone was very welcoming. I was amazed at the effort they put into making me feel welcome”
Kevin Loh, Winner Australia 2011
Kevin Loh, Winner Australia 2011
“It was a great experience for us, as Indonesia's young generation, to contribute our ideas for the development of Jakarta Bay. We learn a lot from the Dutch companies and how they think about solutions, which is much more than only engineering. It brought us to a better understanding about Indonesia, our beloved country.”
Aldea Permatasari Firdhaus, Amalia Handini Astari, Mochammad Imron & Aulia Fatwa Farizqa, Winners Indonesia 2014
Aldea Permatasari Firdhaus, Amalia Handini Astari, Mochammad Imron & Aulia Fatwa Farizqa, Winners Indonesia 2014
“The Holland Water Challenge brought me confidence and belief that an innovative idea is more important than gold. When preparing for the final, I spent days and nights to scheme a novel living-style with less carbon and safe water. So Many Thanks to my Dutch Friends, and Wish Our Friendship Forever!”
Li Xiang, Winner China 2010
Li Xiang, Winner China 2010
“An idea is like a projectile. Without a suitable catapult, it is just any ordinary stone incapable of making serious impact. In my case, the Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge was the perfect platform to launch my idea.”
Victor Sim, Winner Singapore 2012
Victor Sim, Winner Singapore 2012
"We're looking forward to making the most of the opportunity to take our idea to the next level and implement what we believe will be a valuable tool for the water industry and emergency services, both in Australia and internationally. Thanks to Holland Water Challenge for organising and supporting the program!"
Dan Peade & Paul Munro, Winners Australia 2013
Dan Peade & Paul Munro, Winners Australia 2013
"The Singapore-Netherlands Water Challenge really helped us use our knowledge to make a little difference on the issues of water reclamation. The award ceremony was great. The trip to Singapore was also very vauable. We would like to let other students know such a good competition!"
Leng Ling, Fan Jingyu, Wu Junhao & Lu Ka Kit, Winners Singapore 2013
Leng Ling, Fan Jingyu, Wu Junhao & Lu Ka Kit, Winners Singapore 2013
"The Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge offers a great opportunity for young people to make an impact in the area of climate change and disaster resilience. We are thankful to have had this wonderful experience."
Tracey Lloyd & Tom Perfrement, Winners Australia 2015
Tracey Lloyd & Tom Perfrement, Winners Australia 2015
"We love every second of the program and always remember the time being with the program as one of the greatest memories through student life. I hope to see you again with another challenges and programs. We have the youth and capabilities and what we need is a chance to prove it."
Pann Ei Ei Phyoe, Winning Team Myanmar 2016
Pann Ei Ei Phyoe, Winning Team Myanmar 2016