Located in Bicentennial Park in a 40 hectare, fully irrigated parkland in Sydney Olympic Park, the SIMPaCT project – Smart Irrigation Management for Cool Parks and Towns – is working to reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect by maximising the transpiration cooling provided by plants. The project uses smart sensing technology and artificial intelligence to optimise irrigation of the entire parkland.

The technology is designed to create an autonomous natural urban air conditioning system that knows when it will be hot and how to adjust water management throughout a complex landscape to cool the area inside and around the park.

Led by Western Sydney University, SIMPaCT is funded by the Digital Restart Fund of the NSW Government and Sydney Water, and brings together universities, government agencies and industry.

Next Water, Australia’s leading scientific and technical conference on research and innovation, will be held in Sydney on February 22nd and 23rd. The event will bring together water industry professionals and academics from across Australia.

Register now for Next Water to take advantage of this exclusive opportunity and join the lunch hour walking tour where SIMPaCT project partners will demonstrate how science and industry are working together to deliver innovative and effective urban cooling solutions.

The tour is strictly limited to 50 delegates to ensure maximum participation. If you have already registered for Next Water please email Jessica Burgess to add the walking tour to your ticket, free of charge.

The post See Australia’s largest smart blue-green infrastructure R&D project in action appeared first on Water Research Australia.

A collaborative partnership, the One Basin CRC, led by the University of Melbourne, will develop and commercialise opportunities for Australia’s irrigated agriculture and rural water industries.

One Basin CRC will create and assess new sustainable water and agricultural technologies and drive their adoption by water managers and farmers to increase agricultural production while ensuring environmental resilience and sustainability. First Nations inclusion, recognition and respect will also be a core element of the initiative.

University of Melbourne Professor Mike Stewardson, leading the One Basin CRC as interim CEO, said the One Basin CRC is shaped by industry and will pave the way to transform irrigation regions across Australia and internationally.

“By 2037, an estimated $4.3 billion of economic impact will be generated by innovation in water, agriculture and energy technology, enhanced forecasting and decision-making capacity, with a focus on sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change,” Professor Stewardson said in a statement.

“Australia’s irrigation regions are the powerhouse of Australia’s agricultural sector producing 50 per cent of Australia’s agricultural profits, with the Murray-Darling Basin being the focus of two thirds of that irrigated agriculture.”

Water Research Australia supported the One Basic CRC funding bid will play a role in the collaborative partnership on behalf of our members. General Manager Research Services Jacqueline Frizenschaf said WaterRA’s focus will be in the areas of knowledge transfer.

“We will impart outreach and knowledge transfer efforts for the benefit of our members, primarily through our Research Leadership Program and the Australian Water School,” Frizenschaf said.

“With Reconciliation Action Plans of our water utilities now actively progressing to include traditional owners in their business, WaterRA is ready to offer to our industry members additional opportunities to increase research for and with traditional owners in the Murray Darling Basin.”

Over its ten-year term, One Basin CRC’s activities will be concentrated across four regional Basin hubs located at Loxton, Mildura, Griffith and Goondiwindi, working directly with industry, businesses, First Nations, community and government.

For more information contact Jacqueline Frizenschaf or visit the One Basin CRC website.

The post One Basin CRC secures funding to drive a sustainable future appeared first on Water Research Australia.