The Health-e-Waterways Project: Data Integration for Smarter Collaborative Whole-of-Water Cycle Management

The Health-e-Waterways Project is a collaboration between the University of Queensland, Microsoft Research and the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership (SEQ-HWP) (a consortium of over 60 local government, state agency, universities, community and environmental organizations). The aim of the project is to develop a highly innovative framework and set of services to enable streamlined access to a collection of real-time, near-real-time and static datasets acquired through ecosystem health monitoring programs (EHMP) in South East Queensland. This paper describes the underlying water information management system and Web Portal that we are developing to enable the sharing and integration of the high quality data and models for SEQ water resource managers. In addition we will describe the interactive and dynamic ecosystem reporting services that we have developed and the WaterWiki that is being established to enable knowledge exchange between the online community of Queensland’s water stakeholders

Launching the Grand Challenges for Ocean Conservation

The ten most pressing Grand Challenges in Oceans Conservation were identified at the Oceans Big Think and described in a detailed working document:A Blue Revolution for Oceans: Reengineering Aquaculture for SustainabilityEnding and Recovering from Marine DebrisTransparency and Traceability from Sea to Shore:  Ending OverfishingProtecting Critical Ocean Habitats: New Tools for Marine ProtectionEngineering Ecological Resilience in Near Shore and Coastal AreasReducing the Ecological Footprint of Fishing through Smarter GearArresting the Alien Invasion: Combating Invasive SpeciesCombatting the Effects of Ocean AcidificationEnding Marine Wildlife TraffickingReviving Dead Zones: Combating Ocean Deoxygenation and Nutrient Runof

Feeding Ourselves Thirsty: How the Food Sector is Managing Global Water Risks

The global food sector faces extraordinary risks from the twin challenges of water scarcity and water pollution. Growing competition for water, combined with weak regulations, failing infrastructure, pollution and climate change impacts threaten the sector's water security and contribute to a water availability emergency that was recently ranked the world's "top global risk" by the World Economic Forum.This report examines how water risks affect the profitability and competitive positioning of 37 major food sector companies in four industries: packaged food, beverage, meat and agricultural products. It evaluates and ranks these companies -- the majority of which are U.S. domiciled and publicly-traded -- on how well they are positioned to anticipate and mitigate these risks, as well as contribute to improved water resource management.The report provides recommendations for how analysts and investors can effectively evaluate food sector companies on their water risk exposure and management practices. It also provides recommendations for how food companies can improve water efficiency and water quality across their operations and supply chains to reduce risks and protect water resources

Redeveloping Regional Economies for Present and Future Generations: Prosperity for People Within Ecological Limits

Many scientists and scholars believe the world is headed toward multiple ecological and social crises during the lifetime of much of the world\u27s population. If they are correct, a shift in how economies work will be necessary. We will no longer be able to rely on the ever expanding use of natural resources with the attendant pollution from their extraction, processing, transport, disposal, and social costs including civil disruptions and wars associated with greater scarcity. A number of proposals have been made that offer either comprehensive or partial solutions to the regional and global dimensions of these impending crises. One intriguing voluntary and business-oriented solution proposes a framework for trustees for future generations to access sufficient capital for the redevelopment of local economies. They would use the funds, principally raised by long-term bonds, to solicit competitive proposals from business and other partnerships to contract to deliver carefully measured outcomes needed by both current and future generations. This paper critically analyzes this solution and reviews other proposed or existing solutions. It concludes that this new approach should be evaluated and demonstrated along with others to test the viability of tools that could be used to achieve both necessary short and essential long-term outcomes. New tools include long-term finance for life cycle measured outcomes, an institutional framework for contracts with businesses and others to deliver the outcomes, including early replacement of the most problematic infrastructure and systems, and ultimately market mechanisms to enhance revenue from aggregation and sale of standardized outcomes to the global finance community

The (long) road towards smart management and maintenance: Organising the digital transformation of critical infrastructures

The digital transformation of organisations, triggered by various digital technologies such as smart sensors, smart meters and IoT devices, provides large amounts of data that make it possible to make smarter decisions. For (Dutch) infrastructure organisations this provides opportunities to smarten the management and maintenance of their assets. But why are these technologies not used on a large scale yet? Two important hurdles for infrastructure managers here are 1) accessing the right data and the expertise needed to transform data into information and 2) the need to collaborate closely with partners in their respective supply networks. This doctoral thesis investigates these hurdles, thereby adding to the emerging literature regarding the impact of digital transformation on collaborating organisations and providing Dutch infrastructure with practical ways to overcome these hurdles. The three empirical studies in this doctoral thesis each investigate a specific aspect of the impact of digital transformations on collaborating supply network partners. Specifically, the study in Chapter 2 focuses on how the two main data processing activities (i.e. gathering data and transforming data) can be managed in dyadic relationships through contractual and relational governance mechanisms. The study in Chapter 3 focuses on how post formation adjustments to contractual and relational governance mechanisms in dyadic relationships are made to cope with uncertainty caused by the digitalisation of collaborative processes. Finally, the study in Chapter 4 focuses on the governance of supply networks (i.e. networks with three or more partners) and how these can be motivated to start sharing and using data coming from digital technologies

REACHING FOR BLUE GOLD - How the EU can rise to the water challenge while reaping the rewards. EPC Issue Paper No. 80, November 2015

Foreword. Climate change is bad news for water resources – and thus for human development, societies, economies, the environment, and local and global security. The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods serves as a reminder of the effects climate change can have on the quantity and quality of global water reserves, and thus on various other aspects of life. Even though the effects differ from region to region, this is a global challenge with far-reaching consequences to which Europe is not immune. As the world leaders gather in Paris in December 2015 to discuss a new international climate deal, it is worth to remind politicians, businesses and citizens of the water challenge and its wider implications, which already affect us today – and which will only get worse with climate change. However, water-related risks resulting from climate change are not a fatality and damage control doesn’t have to be the only mantra. Placing the water challenge at the centre of political and security dialogues, development strategies and climate mitigation and adaptation measures, and implementing smarter water management, could also bring great economic, environmental and social benefits, in and outside the European Union. It would also contribute to global security. Water matters – now more than ever. This is also what this publication demonstrates. Building on the European Policy Centre’s, two-year “Blue Gold” project, this publication shows the rationale for action, how the EU could use its existing internal and external policy instruments to tackle the water challenge with its various dimensions and the benefits of action

Urban Waterfronts and Planning for Industry

The 2019 studio and this report foreground two main issues. First, WE NEED INDUSTRY. The jobs and economic prosperity that are created through industrial development are essential to the sustainability of this region. People need reliable, living-wage employment in order to provide for themselves and their loved ones; contribute to the local housing, service, and retail economies; make use of their intrinsic capacities; and give back to the communities of which they are a part. Industry is the act of working hard, as well as a certain kind of production and manufacturing economy. People in the South Sound want and need to work. Industry is a big part of this region’s past – and for sustainable urban development, it is also our future. Second, WE NEED A SHARED VISION for industrial development that respects, responds to, and sustains communities throughout the city and region. The tideflats and the deep water port are shared public assets. Yesterday’s industry will not necessarily support and protect the values that future generations rely upon, as we look to cleaner, innovative, broadly lucrative forms of growth. Elected officials and civic leaders must improve their ability to work with local constituencies, to build shared commitments around the use of resources and creation of opportunities that serve long-term investments in a healthy and prosperous region. This project grew out of the convergence of research interests from the co-instructors (Anne Taufen and Mark Pendras) and emerging tensions and development related to urban industrial planning on Tacoma’s waterfront. Ultimately, the students worked in teams of 2-3 to address these challenges; their findings are found in the following chapters, and described in some detail below. This introduction provides background and context on the need for industrial planning and sustainable waterfront development, in Tacoma and elsewhere, as well as offering perspective on the costs of failing to sufficiently engage local community constituencies in these investments and decision-making. At the end of this chapter we offer suggestions for next steps that can move the Port, the Tribe, the City, and local stakeholders forward in this regard

Workshop Report: Developing a Research Agenda for the Energy Water Nexus

The energy water nexus has attracted public scrutiny because of the concerns about their interdependence and the possibility for cascading vulnerabilities from one system to the other. There are trends toward more water-­‐intensive energy (such as biofuels , unconventional oil and gas production, and regulations driving more water consumption for thermoelectric power production ) and more energy-­‐intensive water (such as desalination, or deeper ground water pumping and production). In addition demographic trends of population and economic growth will likely drive up total and per capita water and energy demand, and due to climate change related distortions of the hydrologic cycle, it is expected that the existing interdependencies will be come even more of a concern. Therefore, developing a research agenda and strategy to mitigate potential vulnerabilities and to meet economic and environmental targets for efficiently using energy and water would be very worthwhile. To address these concerns, the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored a workshop on June 10-­‐11, 2013 in Arlington, VA (at NSF headquarters) to bring together technical, academic, and industry experts from across the country to help develop such a research agenda. The workshop was sponsored by NSF Grant Number CBET 1341032 from the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems. Supporting programs were: Thermal Transport Processes, Environmental Sustainability, and Environmental Engineering.Center for Research in Water Resource

Towards more socially inclusive smart sustainable cities: A study of smart city districts in Greater Copenhagen region

Today world’s cities are in a state of flux exhibiting complex dynamics and at the core of sustainability challenges including climate change and urbanization. At the same time cities have been acknowledged as agents of change when it comes to addressing these challenges. The urgency to address these problems has triggered cities to find smarter and innovative ways to deal with these challenges. Cities are committing themselves to smart city objectives and national governments are encouraging cities to become centers for innovation as well as drivers for sustainable growth. Smart city districts are emerging as a new form of urban living with smart solutions, technologies, products and services to address these sustainability challenges and enhance quality of life in cities. This thesis follows case study approach to explore how these emerging smart city districts are designed and governed by municipalities as smart endowments and activities of self-decisive, independent and aware citizens within Greater Copenhagen region. Focus is made on how the smart city districts are governed to catalyze co-creation and enhance social inclusion in their planning and development. Analytical models, the democracy cube and participation stairway are used to determine the potential and limits for citizen participation. The participation and engagement of citizens in form of collaborative or communicative planning forms the central focus of planning and development in the case studies investigated in this thesis. Information, consultation and dialogue form the main channels for citizen engagement in the planning process. The activities that enhance inclusive, innovative and reflective societies are seen to be a prerequisite for achieving sustainable social integration. Involvement of citizens in both planning and decision making hastens their relationships with city authorities and the opportunities for which they can further influence decisions. However, aspects of social inclusion are multi-dimensional and still remain a challenge since the cases under study are emerging from green fields. The realization of multi-channeled inclusionary approaches can act a medium for reaching a broader range of demographics and opinions

Purchasing for a Better Future: Sustainable Procurement in the County of Santa Clara

In brief, this study aims to address sustainable procurement in SCC and its Procurement Department (PRC). A multi-varied analysis and discussion of market industries and the vendor community, present SCC policies and programs, and the overarching feasibility and environmental impact of sustainable procurement is provided to assist SCC in meeting its vision of sustainability. Procurement is a dynamic process, and for that reason, requires transformation and strategic decision-making about how to best pursue and achieve long-term sustainability aims and goals through SCC\u27s purchasing vehicles (SCC OOS, 2018c, para. 4). Today, SCC, like many other governments, is grappling with the problems and threats of a weaker economy, a growing income divide, a degraded environment, and a broken economy (Pew Research Center, 2019, p.1). This study can potentially help PRC navigate sustainability as well as guide the department as it joins SCC in its cross-collaborative efforts to prevent and mitigate costs to the social welfare of its constituents via sustainable policies, programs, and practices. Accordingly, the central research question that will direct this study is as follows: Research Question: Do SCC purchasing practices promote sustainability initiatives, support sustainability policies, and leverage sustainability practices employed by its vendor community