The Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration program is one of Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) 11 program streams focussing on innovative technology trials in the water industry.
As the name suggests, the program aims to share knowledge and information across IWN member corporations. It develops opportunities for water professionals to work together. It plays a vital role in supporting the other IWN programs by sharing lessons learned and emerging opportunities.
IWN is constantly looking to improve its communication channels and find new ways to unite its members. They want to share their collective knowledge and create new opportunities to collaborate.
October saw IWN again host its annual Knowledge Sharing Conference. It brought water professionals from 17 member organisations together in a live-streamed event hosted from three locations across Victoria.
Now in the third year, the conference creates an opportunity for water professionals to share their stories and successes with others in the water industry. The objective is to promote cross-organisational learning through shared ideas, insights and findings. They also encourage discussion and collaboration with industry peers.
This year’s conference included 14 speakers from member corporations with a diverse range of topics, including solving operational challenges, data-driven insights, organisational transformation and technology-enabled innovation. For the first time, the conference welcomed presenters from TasWater, with the IWN expanding its membership beyond Victoria to include Tasmania earlier this year.
With a membership base spanning thousands of water professionals, bringing people together in person or through hybrid events is an essential focus for the program. IWN hosts two main conferences each year to share industry knowledge and encourage collaboration across water corporations.
IWN annual conference encourages knowledge sharing and collaboration
Hosted earlier this year, the annual members’ conference is their largest industry event. It connects water professionals from each member organisation with IWN program managers, IWN champions and the executive team. The full-day event provides program updates and trial information for each program stream. It also features hands-on displays of equipment and technology being evaluated.
The Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration program also host a monthly webinar series available to all member corporations. The monthly IWN webinar series has become one of the most popular forums to engage with its members. For many, it has become a preferred channel for information sharing, seeding new ideas and generating new trial opportunities. The webinars are interactive live events. They are also recorded and available to members online via the web portal known as the Knowledge Hub.
In 2022, the IWN has expanded from 9 to 11 program streams, providing the audience with an increasingly diverse range of topics across all aspects of the Water Industry. The monthly webinars aim to share the latest information, outcomes and results of IWN technology trials as they become available. Given the significant interest in new and emerging technologies and the latest academic research, IWN regularly features thought leaders and academic partners to share advancements and breakthroughs in topics of interest.
There continues to be a strong appetite across the water industry to share information openly. Every member wants to learn from one another and collaborate across organisational boundaries. As a result, IWN has seen the audience for their webinars grow with live events and engagement with the content published online.
IWN is conscious of the many common challenges faced by modern water corporations. They are extremely well-positioned to tackle those challenges as an industry collective. IWN prides itself on the relationships they have with each of its member organisations. They are also proud of how they develop their programs based on the needs and feedback of their members.
To find out more about Intelligent Water Networks, its technology programs and upcoming knowledge-sharing events, please visit us at iwn.org.au
Related Articles:
- WSAA collaborates with industry for all
- Members and customers key to VicWater
- Insight into digital metering