Digital Technologies for a Climate Resilient Water Sector

The International WaterCentre (IWC) at Griffith University is helping the water sector understand the digital technologies needed to build a climate resilient future in the Asia-Pacific.

Supported by DFAT’s Australian Water Partnership and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), IWC delivered a six-week course on ‘Digital Technologies for a Climate Resilient Water Sector’ to more than 70 participants from 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific Region.

Peter Wegener, senior project manager at the International WaterCentre and Australian Rivers Institute

“Australia is a leader in the use of digital technologies to monitor, plan and manage the use of water in urban and regional settings,” said Peter Wegener, senior project manager at the International WaterCentre and Australian Rivers Institute.

Developed with ADB’s Water Sector Group, the course harnessed Australian experience in this sector to build the capacity of ADB and Developing Member Country staff to use digital technologies to improve water management and decision-making, contributing to water security and climate change resilience.

Across the12 module interactive course, digital technologies were applied to a broad range of water management settings, including urban water supply and sanitation, water resource planning and management at basin level, river and ecosystem health monitoring, rural climate resilient water supply and sanitation, climate change and gender equality, disability and social inclusion.

Participants learned about a wide range of digital technologies and were encouraged to identify how these technologies could be applied in their own projects,” Mr Wegener said.

“They also learnt how to manage and present data, and the use of various tools, such as SDG dashboards, and remote sensing databases Grace and Global surface water.”

Participants identified the necessity for a clear digital technology strategy that addresses organisational needs, as well as stakeholder engagement throughout the process of identifying and applying digital technologies.

Beyond knowledge and skills to apply digital technologies, the course provided an opportunity for networking across Australia and with partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

Wrapping up the course, a number of participants gave presentations on how the knowledge they’ve gained can be used to apply digital technologies in their projects and organisations.

The content and resources for the Digital Technologies for a Climate Resilient Water Sector course are available for others to access via the Asian Development Bank’s Water Resilience Hub.

Thank you to Griffith University’s International Development Unit and Professional Learning Hub, who were key to developing and delivering this successful course.