An ambitious research program will be launched tomorrow focused on engaging community action by delivering up-to-date information on the health of the Swan-Canning River Basin to every West Australian with the click of a button.  

The Swan-Canning River Basin Online Schools Project is a partnership between the Centre for Water Research at The University of Western Australia, Millennium Kids and the Water Quality Research Centre at Curtin University.

Using real-time data collection instrumentation and historical data delivered through an easy-to- use web portal, the key objective of the project is to reverse the current degradation of the Swan-Canning River Basin.  The modern adaptive management system developed at the Centre for Water Research and used globally, will allow the Swan-Canning River Basin and its receiving waters to be managed sustainably for the benefit of the community. 

Over the last three months, students from Penrhos, St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, Wesley College, Sevenoaks Senior College, Aquinas College and South Perth Primary School have participated in the first stage of the project.  The six schools have collected a wide range of information on the Swan-Canning River and uploaded it into the web portal embedded on location in Google Earth. 

The Swan-Canning River Basin web portal allows all stakeholders to explore their impact on the Swan Canning River Basin.  The simulated data is overlaid on geographic images of Google Earth and GIS information allowing stakeholders to make decisions guided by real and simulated data.

WHAT:            Swan-Canning River Basin Online Schools Project  

WHERE:          St Hilda's Anglican Girl's School, Chidley Campus 

WHEN:            6pm, Thursday November 5, 2009

Media references

Caroline Wood (UWA Centre for Water Research)  (+61 8)  6488 2466
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716