Global Water Challenge

The Epic Groundwater Challenge

With a projected 40 percent gap between demand and supply of freshwater resources by 2030, Startupbootcamp and SAP Next-Gen are collaborating with the World Bank’s, Global Water Practice, and the World Economic Forum’s Global Water Initiative to discover disruptive startups and innovative approaches that can work with public and private stakeholders to potentially scale groundwater assessment solutions in emerging economies.

Given groundwater is the elixir of life, 21 of the world’s 37 largest aquifers are in decline with 13 of these aquifers in critical stress. The world can no longer afford to degrade freshwater resources as aquifers are being overexploited due to mismanagement and lack of data. By properly monitoring groundwater levels, decision makers are able to determine annual and long-term changes of groundwater storage, estimate the recharge rate, determine direction and gradient of flow and, most importantly, understand and manage aquifer systems. This information supports better management of water resources at local, national and regional levels. However, many developing countries are not able to collect this information effectively from reliable sources due to high costs and logistical hurdles.

Who should apply?

Startups utilizing 4IR technology-enabled solutions in groundwater management such as but not limited to; Artificial Intelligence (AI), Drones, Information of Things (IoT) Sensors, Remote Sensing for use in Tanzania with the ability to be replicated in similar developing countries. We are also looking for startups that can encompass the majority of the following characteristics for global scalability.

Find out more on http://bit.ly/sdgwater2018

Applications close on the 12th of September