Lessons in water improved by cutting edge technology

13 Aug 2020

Innovative technology such as gamification, virtual reality and artificial intelligence is being applied to an education program to help teach people about water management in South East Queensland.

Innovative resources teach people about water management in South East Queensland are being developed by QUT’s Visualisation and eResearch group and Seqwater

As the result of a partnership between Seqwater and the Queensland University of Technology, numerous digital education resources are being developed as a way to improve how people learn about water.

The innovative resources are being developed by QUT’s Visualisation and eResearch group – a multidisciplinary team within the university’s Institute for Future Environments (IFE).

Some of the educational resources being developed include interactive 3D maps, cooperative games and advanced interactive devices such as the customised Augmented Reality Sandpit.

Visualisation and eResearch Group Manager, Gavin Winter, said the uses of technology in education and engagement, in particular for bulk water supply, waste water, and flooding, had radically advanced over the past five years.

“We are now able to provide students and communities with immersive, interactive, and real-time experiences, which help them to understand where their water comes from, how it is managed and how individual behaviours impact our future supply,” Mr Winter said.

The Seqwater-QUT team will be designing software and hardware solutions, which can be delivered online, in virtual reality, as games - at home and in the classroom.

To do this, the QUT team will bring expertise in programming, graphic design, 3D modelling, animation, and user experience design and combine this with Seqwater’s specialist knowledge on water management to deliver educational and fun experiences.

Seqwater CEO Neil Brennan said the partnership would help enhance and improve educational outcomes for SEQ as Seqwater continues to build water literacy amongst the region’s communities.

“With new technologies being adopted in the education domain, the future of community education and engagement is fast becoming more digital,” Mr Brennan said.

“This partnership between QUT and Seqwater began in 2015, when we worked with the university to develop an augmented reality sandpit that uses kinetic sensors to simulate hills, valleys, lakes and rainfall to show how the region’s water supply is managed.

“I’m pleased we are continuing to work with QUT to produce exciting outcomes in water education.”