EW-admin4

October 1, 2024 by EW-admin4

At eWater Group, we are unlocking potential and supporting our people to develop their skills and knowledge, including Vandana Thakur, Software Tester.

Supporting and creating a space for our people to develop their skills and knowledge is part of our efforts to create a great place to work at eWater Group. As part of their professional development, we provide support to all employees to use in knowledge sharing and learning activities, networking and mentoring opportunities, and events.

Vandana Thakur, Software Tester, eWater Group, is undertaking both a Mentor and Mentee role at the Australian Computer Society, a leading association representing Australia’s technology community across industry, government and education. The program will see Vandana participate in networking, webinars and events to stay up to date on the increasing changing world of ICT and technology.

“[The program] is a good opportunity for me to develop professional skills as well as share my knowledge and experience with others. As a mentee I am open to listening and exploring new creative ideas.”

For Vandana having a dual role within the program will enable her to talk through the challenges and obstacles she faces in her career and how to handle them with her Mentor, while then supporting Mentees in their development of the professional careers in the tech community.

“Sharing our journey and knowledge helps both sides to grow in their own respective ways, enriching the relationship and the knowledge they may bring to others. It is a great opportunity to not only meet like-minded people but also to collaborate with tech professionals and to grow networks as well.”

“I am hoping that this journey will make it easier for me to upskill and expand my professional network, as well as help in the development of management skills such as communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.”

“I am also taking up this opportunity for enhancing my time management with work which can help in management skills professionally when required.”

“I am appreciative of my managers, in particularly General Manager Jolie Baasch, and the wider organisation, who are proactive in enabling opportunities for professional development for the staff. I hope it opens doors to understand the industry and how I can apply that thinking and learning to my role now and into the future.”

We will be sharing more about Vandana Thakur’s mentor/mentee journey over the coming months and her learnings as part of ASC 2024 Mentoring Program.

September 10, 2024 by EW-admin4

How many organisations can say that their Group CEO is a Political Scientist, classical musician, Public Servant, national security specialist, Australian Diplomat, Humanitarian and International Development Adviser all rolled in to one person? I’m guessing not many!

Our Group CEO, Michael Wilson, has had several lives and career pivots in his 35 years working in the private, community and public sectors in Australia and internationally.

Michael Wilson sits down with Asia Pacific Career Development Association to deep dive on his career, his influences, childhood heroes, making decisions at a crossroad, and how he made his way to eWater Group.

We thank Asia Pacific Career Development Association hosts, Felicity Brown and Ruchira Tripath who interviewed Michael for this engrossing conversation about pivoting and a sliding door opportunity that opened new a path and direction for Michael and ultimately our organisation.

To listen and watch the full interview head to the website > Podcast Season 4 – Apcda (asiapacificcda.org).

If you are time conscious, Asia Pacific Career Development Association also provide time stamps but we encourage everyone to listen to the full interview.

August 28, 2024 by EW-admin4

Chathura Gamage shares how his recently acquired PhD in AI and Games informs his role as eWater Group Research Software Engineer.

The increasing complexity of scientific software development and water modelling continues to generate significant discussion within the scientific and technological community in Australia and internationally.

Through our work, in which we provide creative, science-based, and trusted water management expertise and tools, we continue to research and develop new approaches and innovative thinking, drawing on advanced scientific methods, to address water management and water modelling challenges both in Australia and internationally.

We are incredibly lucky to have talented group of people working at eWater Group, bringing an extraordinary variety of skills and experience to our organisation and the governments and industries in which we support.

Chathura Gamage, Research Software Engineer, recently completed his PhD in AI and Games at the Australian National University, and we could not be prouder and elated that he works at eWater Group. Through his role, Chathura supports the development of our software products and tools, and implements the latest hydrological research, methodologies, and software development trends to ensure our work is dynamic, robust and contemporary.

His thesis Content Generation for Open-World Physics-Based Environments was centred on developing scientific solutions within physics-modelled environments to evaluate and measure the intelligence of AI systems.

“In my PhD research, I focused on creating simple yet effective solutions to complex problems, a skill that directly translates to the work I do at eWater Group. Here, I collaborate closely with skilled software developers and hydrologists to design and implement cutting-edge hydrological modelling software that supports best-practice water resource management.”

Through his PhD, Chathura contributed to the creation of scientific software, including benchmarking and testbed tools that are now used by research communities. “The experiences and skills I gained throughout my PhD have been invaluable in my role at eWater, where we develop Australia’s National Hydrological Modelling Platform – a crucial tool for sustainable water management both in Australia and globally.”

“The skills and insights I gained during my research have been essential in my work at eWater Group, where attention to detail and a deep understanding of both the underlying science and software development are critical to delivering reliable, robust solutions.”

“What I find most rewarding about working at eWater Group is the opportunity to see science in action. It is incredibly satisfying to know that the contributions I make today will influence real-world decision-making tomorrow, directly impacting the sustainable management of our precious water resources.”

Congratulations to Chathura on his PhD and we look forward to the impact he will have at eWater Group.

August 15, 2024 by EW-admin4

To mark National Science Week 2024, we wanted to share insights on what role Australia’s National Hydrological Modelling Platform, eWater Source, plays in the Murray Darling Basin

As the driest continent on Earth, Australia has developed sophisticated systems to manage our precious but limited water supplies.

Purposeful maintenance and improvement of water flows is often required in areas to maintain their health and functions to support vegetation, waterbirds and native fish. This is especially the case in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, where a complex network of dams, weirs, agreements and legislation are in place to provide water security for towns, industry, the environment and irrigated agriculture.

This water security had historically come at a cost to the health of the rivers of the Murray Darling Basin, and that’s where eWater Group and eWater Source™ plays a critical role in improving the representation and management of ‘environmental water’, in both water planning and delivery applications.

Since its initial introduction in 2017, much has been learned about how to best manage environmental water. Working with our partners, we have made several changes to eWater Source™ to reflect much of this learning. This work will help to ensure that water models, such as those used to support the review of the Basin Plan, accurately reflect how environmental water is used.

Modelling supports the detailed examination of questions such as how water for the environment interacts with other water uses, the best way to achieve environmental objectives, such as the flow regimes required to trigger fish breeding and how to protect water for the environment in planning frameworks.

While water modelling often sits quietly in the background, it plays a critical role in ensuring the best use of our precious water supplies. This National Science Week, eWater is proud to acknowledge the role of our tools in protecting the plants and animals of our riverine environments.

To learn more about the work in the Murray Darling Basin head to the MDBA website to find out how they are working to achieve a healthy working Basin for the benefit of all Australians > https://www.mdba.gov.au/

If you want to learn more about eWater Source™ > https://ewater.org.au/ewater-solutions/tools/source/ or reach out to our team today.

Aerial view of amazing meandering river among gum trees in Australia

August 15, 2024 by EW-admin4

We are incredibly proud of the people that represent eWater Group. Our corporate services and information technology specialists are the spine of the organsiation. One of these specialists is Meenu Sampath, our IT Support Officer.

Organisations, both public and private, are facing the increasingly challenging world of cyber security threats while ensuring the protection of critical assets like Australia’s National Hydrological Modelling Platform, eWater Source.

Our corporate services and information technology specialists are the spine of our organisation. They are critical to ensuring our organisation continues to support, facilitate, and encourage high-quality, reliable, and evidence-based decision making over water resources in Australia, and internationally.

One of these specialists is Meenu Sampath, IT Support Officer, who has been guiding and advising our organisation since 2021 on information technology, cyber security, hardware, and software support, and maintaining our servers.

Ms. Sampath began her career in the United States where she gained experience in Information Systems Management and website design before making the move to Australia in 2017 where she has worked within the Australian public sector before joining eWater Group.

“I wanted to work for an organisation that could sharpen my skills and give me the opportunity to prove myself and lead by example; eWater for me was the logical choice.”

“The culture of the organisation was a major draw card for me. eWater Group has a positive inclusive and diverse work culture. I feel valued and acknowledge for my contributions.”

Protecting intellectual property and cyber security is at the forefront of every business in Australia and globally. For eWater Group protecting our software as well as our expertise from any fraudulent activities is crucial in delivering world-class science and technology for Australian Government owners, and international partners.

In her role as IT Support Officer, Meenu works together with our people to ensure the protection of our intellectual property, which includes ongoing cyber security training and awareness, as well as secure authentication methods and support for employees.

“Cyber training and awareness are critical in my work, as well to our team, and the stakeholders with whom we engage with. Recently, our team undertook a review of our IT infrastructure and migrated our systems into a state-of-the-art platform that can meet the expectations of those who rely upon us to perform their most critical water management tasks.

“I enjoy my role as each day is different. Every issue we faced in our organisation is a learning experience for me. Having the opportunity to collaborate with team members, learning from each other’s experience and sharing perspectives contributes to the overall learning journey for me and everyone at eWater Group.”

August 8, 2024 by EW-admin4

Paradis Someth, Principal Hydrologist, travelled to the Lancang-Mekong River in the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province, China as part of a historic visit to the source of the river.

Representatives from six riparian countries made an historic visit to the source of the Lancang-Mekong River in the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province, China, as part of a comprehensive joint survey to exchange insights on water management.

The representatives from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand were of a visit coordinated by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Water Centre and the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat, and our own eWater Principal Hydrologist, Paradis Someth was also part of the visit.

As part of the visit, representatives surveyed various points in the basin’s headwaters to understand the area’s status, conditions, and conservation efforts.

Visiting the source region of the Lancang-Mekong is essential for comprehending water resource development and environmental conservation in the upstream areas. This insight is vital for effectively modelling the entire Lancang-Mekong River system.

It also strongly supports the implementation of Phase 2 – Joint Study on the Changing Pattern of Hydrological Conditions of the Lancang-Mekong River Basin and Adaption Strategies.

eWater Group plays a vital role in this process by assisting the two leading regional water diplomacy and knowledge hubs: the Mekong River Commission and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Water Center.

We are a crucial partner in enabling Australia to achieve its objectives under the National Hydrological Modelling Strategy through exporting Australian science internationally to support best practice water policy, planning and resource management.

Since Phase 1 of the Joint Study, eWater Source™ modelling tool has been one of the crucial assets, enabling comprehensive assessments of climate change and water infrastructure, including hydropower, irrigation, and rural/urban/industrial water supply. This unique capability allows for a better understanding of changing hydrological patterns and formulating effective adaptation strategies for the Lancang-Mekong River Basin.

We are honoured to be part of such a historic visit which reflects the ongoing commitment of the six riparian countries to collaborate and exchange knowledge and capabilities on the upper (Lancang) and lower Mekong Basin.

eWater Group is the custodians of eWater Source™, Australia’s National Hydrological Modelling Platform. Learn more about this incredible modelling tool > https://ewater.org.au/ewater-solutions/.

The Lancang-Mekong River shares its source with two other major rivers: the Changjiang (Yangtze) and the Yellow River.

August 7, 2024 by EW-admin4

The Krishna River is the third longest river in India, after the Ganges and Godavari, and is a major source of irrigation in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

More importantly, it is a lifeline for millions of people, with a network of dams and canals, supporting a diverse range of crops critical to India’s agricultural economy, and of course its historic and cultural significance to its people.

Preserving and protecting this vital resource was front of mind by the Government of Karnataka and its Advanced Centre for Integrated Water Management (ACIWRM) when it approached eWater Solutions for assistance with developing integrated water resource management solutions for the Krishna River.

One solution was the use of eWater Source™, Australia’s National Hydrological Modelling Platform, across four sub-basin models within the Krishna River basin, along with data preparation and analysis.

This latest training course builds on our partnership in providing training and capacity building of ACIWRM engineers through our popular Source Fundamentals training program for both Catchment Modelling and River Systems Modelling.

Led by our Hydrologist, Sudeep Nair, this training provided the basic concepts of Source modelling and the foundation for advanced training to be delivered in mid-August in Karnataka, India. The training is complemented by ongoing support and mentoring.

Through our hydrologists, we are supporting the ACIWRM team to develop river system planning models to assist water managers, engineers and policy makers to better manage their water resources.

The training offers participants a first step in the basic training needed to understand and implement eWater Source™ in a real-world situation. The ongoing use of Source will provide ACIWRM the tools to evaluate future water availability under different development, management and climate scenarios.

The work will contribute to the Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resource Management Investment Project (KISWRMIP), a Multi-Tranche Financing Facility (MFF) program of the Government of Karnataka funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Fostering Employee Growth and Professional Development