From Data to Decisions: University of Waterloo Seeks Input on Poseidon Water Quality Tool
Poseidon is a cutting-edge, AI-powered web-based platform developed to revolutionize how water quality is monitored and analyzed. By focusing on nutrient loads like nitrogen and phosphorus in streams and watersheds— including the Great Lakes Basin and other regions across Canada and the United States—Poseidon provides powerful tools for visualizing and predicting water quality trends.
Using advanced statistical models and artificial intelligence, Poseidon integrates sparse observational data with meteorological and hydrological datasets to deliver daily, monthly, and annual nutrient predictions of nutrient concentrations and loads. This innovative tool can improve pollution management strategies and support sustainable water practices by enabling informed, data-driven decisions.
Tackling Nutrient Pollution
Poseidon was developed to address critical water quality challenges, such as managing nutrient pollution, a key driver of harmful algal blooms in freshwater systems. Supported in part by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance grant, the platform aims to help scientists, policymakers, and conservationists in meeting environmental targets and promote water sustainability.
A Collaborative Development Process
One of Poseidon’s defining features is its co-creation approach. Developers are actively involving users and stakeholders through workshops and interactive feedback sessions, to enhance the platform’s ability to effectively meet the real-world needs of its users. This collaboration shapes the platform’s design and prioritizes user-friendly features and practical functionality. Poseidon’s inclusive process ensures it remains accessible and relevant for a wide range of users, including researchers, government agencies, environmental organizations, and industry professionals.
By empowering stakeholders with tools to understand water quality dynamics, Poseidon facilitates the development and implementation of effective interventions to preserve freshwater ecosystems.
Upcoming workshop
The next Poseidon workshop—to take place in Spring 2025—is open to all potential users of the platform. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to explore new datasets, test new features, and provide feedback that the developers can use to improve the usability of the platform.
Who should attend the Poseidon workshop
Individuals working with nutrient data
Researchers who work with water quality data, specially nutrients
Policymakers and environmental managers interested in water quality
Conservation practitioners and industry professionals
If you're interested in being one of the first people to test out the platform and share your insights, we encourage you to participate. Your feedback will be invaluable as we make the final changes to the platform to ensure it meets the needs of its diverse users. To learn more, please contact juliane.mai@uwaterloo.ca.