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Jul 18
Sand Technologies
Last week’s Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival brought together a diverse community of water companies, technology providers, environmental groups and innovators, all focused on exploring how data, AI, and collaboration can help address one of the UK’s most pressing environmental challenges: the health of its rivers.
Sand Technologies had the privilege of sponsoring a data hack and sprint on the topic of ‘Citizen Science for River Health’. Both sessions tackled the question of how grassroots data, emerging technology and collaboration can provide the foundations for better environmental outcomes. While the festival covered a wide range of topics, a few key observations stood out during the week.
One of the standout moments from the festival was witnessing the numerous organizations involved and the willingness of people to collaborate across industries. Conversations consistently returned to the same point: environmental challenges are shared, and collaboration, not competition, is what leads to progress.
There was also a clear focus on what actions need to happen now to drive meaningful change. From regulators and utilities to researchers, there’s a growing ecosystem focused on finding practical, scalable ways to use data and technology to improve river health. Many technology companies are also putting serious effort into R&D and collaborating closely with clients to innovate.
The importance of designing with people at the centre, whether that’s customers, communities or future generations, was also a key theme throughout the week. It was encouraging to see the industry thinking beyond technology alone and focusing on solutions that deliver real benefits to both people and the planet.
Citizen science is a great example of this in action. By enabling individuals and communities to actively contribute to protecting river health, these initiatives put people at the heart of environmental progress. But, for it to have a bigger impact, there needs to be clear frameworks in place to ensure data is trusted, transparent and used in the right way.
The Designing for FAIR-ness sprint, hosted with RPS Group and EMR Integrated Solutions, explored how to make this possible. The session focused on how community-generated data can become more visible, usable and impactful at scale. Prioritizing trust, transparency and accessibility helps ensure that environmental solutions are not just technically sound, but rooted in the needs and contributions of the people they serve.
AI’s role in environmental monitoring was another recurring topic, particularly the shift from reactive reporting to proactive, predictive insight. However, what was also highlighted was the importance of getting the fundamentals right before scaling AI initiatives.
AI can only be as effective as the data it’s built on. Without a robust foundation, which includes strong governance, solid architectures and high-quality, accessible data, even the most advanced models risk delivering inconsistent or limited value. Getting the basics right is what unlocks lasting value.
Organizations are increasingly focused on what’s practical now while keeping future needs in mind. During the week, discussions often came back to the importance of scalability, integration and long-term flexibility with a shared understanding that short-term decisions made in isolation can lead to wasted resources later.
There’s a growing shift towards thinking in terms of connected, forward-looking strategies for data and AI. More companies are adopting approaches that are designed to address immediate challenges while remaining flexible enough to adapt as needs evolve.
Events like the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival are a valuable reminder that solving complex environmental challenges takes more than technology. They require collaboration, creativity and a willingness to rethink how data and AI are applied in practice. The conversations from this week reinforced the importance of building solutions that are not only innovative but also practical, sustainable and ready to evolve as the world changes.
For those considering how AI and data can support this journey, Sand Technologies is open to sharing ideas and exploring what’s possible. If you would like to discuss an AI feasibility study, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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