Queensland invention keeps a healthy eye on waterways

South-east Queenslanders will have unprecedented access to detailed data showing the health of their waterways, following today’s launch of the 2009 Ecosystem Health Report Card.

Thanks to a new state-of-the-art data integration system known as Health-e-Waterways, current and historical Ecosystem Health Report Card grades for catchments, estuaries and bay zones are just a few key strokes away.

Health-e-Waterways, a Queensland Government-funded research project involving The University of Queensland (UQ), Microsoft Research and the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, has been applied for the first time to the 2009 Report Card.

Health-e-Waterways gathers together information from water databases held by a variety of government agencies and research organisations and makes it readily accessible through a single online portal that can be accessed at: www.health-e-waterways.org.

The new system enables next-generation water management by harnessing the power of the Internet to search, analyse, interpret and communicate waterways information. In particular, scientists, policy makers and natural resource managers will be able to obtain a more accurate and timely understanding of problem sites and causes. Data analysis tools will also enable water resource managers to quickly adapt management strategies in response to changes observed in the catchment areas and waterways.

Health-e-Waterways also provides an interactive map interface which enables users to access visualizations of the Report Card data through eco-health plots and site photos. The interface allows panning, zooming and animations that visualise changes in waterway health across regions and time.

“Health-e-Waterways shows how teamwork between UQ, industry – in this case Microsoft Research – grassroots organisations and government can empower communities with access to new levels of knowledge,” said Professor Paul Greenfield, UQ Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the Healthy Waterways Scientific Expert Panel.

“Around the world, and particularly in Australia, there’s an incredible amount of focus on how humankind can better manage its impact on the environment,” said John Warren, University Relations Manager, Microsoft Research Asia.

“Part of the solution is to gain a better understanding of the changes that are occurring in the environment. There is a massive amount of monitoring data being collected and Health-e-Waterways provides a high-tech approach to turning that data into meaningful information. This information can then be used by scientists and policy makers to enhance the management of Queensland waterways.”

Professor Jane Hunter, Director of UQ’s e-Research Lab and project leader, said the Report Card is only the first application of the underlying software.

“Down the track the project will provide customised water information management and reporting services to other regions in Australia and internationally,” Professor Hunter said.

Due to climate change, urban development and population growth, recent years have seen large investments in Queensland's water infrastructure. This has created a need for sophisticated technological solutions to allow scientists, urban planners and policy makers to track water movement, consumption and quality across the entire cycle.

The Health-e-Waterways project will develop the underlying cyber-infrastructure required to address new management and decision-making challenges concerning Queensland's waterways. In particular, it will enable and promote the sharing, integration and analysis of high quality water information across all stakeholders – including government, local councils, scientists, community groups and the general public.

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