Smart-water bridge between Korea and the Netherlands
On Friday, 25 January, a Korean delegation visited KWR to share knowledge about smart water, which is an important topic in Watershare’s Future-Proof Water Infrastructures (FPWI) Community of Practice. The delegation consisted of Professor Jayong Koo of the University of Seoul, Professor Jinkeun Kim of Jeju National University, and Professor Dooil Kim of Dankook University. All three are currently involved in research activities at the Center for Eco-Smart Waterworks System (G-Best), of which Watershare partner KIST (Korean Institute of Science and Technology) is a member.
What is G-Best?
G-Best is a research initiative of the Korean government for the promotion of close cooperation between universities, technology providers and the drinking water industry. The initiative started in 2016 and is planned to end in 2021, though it is expected that the government will extend it for a further five years.
Objectives and outcomes
The main goal of the afternoon visit was to establish initial contact between G-Best and those KWR researchers involved in the FWPI Community of Practice. The session consisted of several presentations by both parties covering subjects related to the Korean and Dutch water supply systems, smart water and the use of hydroinformatics tools, applications in different reference projects (from Korean and Dutch perspectives), and possibilities of joint applications. Professor Dooil Kim of Dankook University: “It was very good to share research ideas on ICT for water and current EU projects. We’re facing common challenges in research and in the field of water distribution networks.”
There was also agreement on some preliminary steps towards the possible development of cooperative projects between the two research centres. One of these steps involves a visit later this year by KWR researchers to G-Best in Seoul. This will present a great opportunity to continue the exchange and broaden the discussions.
For more information on G-Best, visit ecogbestcenter.org.
