On 4-5 December 2024, 38 young innovators, water experts, and tech enthusiasts gathered in Moldova for an inspiring two-day Water Data Hackathon, to develop digital solutions to address Moldova's pressing water challenges by promoting the use of open source data.
Organised by the European Union’s EU4Environment Water Resources and Environmental Data programme in partnership with the NGO Renașterea Rurală and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova, the event brought together students of IT, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and water/environmental sciences to co-create tools for sustainable water management.
Why water data matters
Moldova’s water resources are under pressure from climate change, ageing infrastructure, pollution, and inefficient water use. With agriculture and industry relying heavily on rivers, lakes, and groundwater, the need to access reliable data to inform the public and the water managers is more important than ever. As the EU4Environment Water Resources and Environmental Data programme has developed actions to strengthen access to environmental datasets produced by the Moldovan administration, the hackathon aimed to promote the use of existing open datasets by encouraging participants to develop new information products and services based on datasets made available by the Moldovan sdministration and at global level (including open satellite information).
The Hackathon: A hub of creativity and collaboration
Participants—Moldovan students and young professionals—worked in multidisciplinary teams combining expertise in IT, GIS, and environmental sciences. Together, they developed innovative solutions to streamline the collection, visualisation, and accessibility of water data for decision-makers and citizens.
Focusing primarily on surface water quality and flood-related data, participants explored practical applications to improve water management. While each team impressed with their creativity and determination, the winning solutions showed exceptional ingenuity. The three winning teams came up with innovative and impactful solutions.
Looking Ahead
The top three teams received funding to finalise their proposal when possible into fully functional digital solutions. Beyond the prizes, the Water Data Hackathon inspired young professionals to actively contribute to Moldova’s sustainable development goals. It promoted the efficient use of environnemental open datasets, underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and highlighted the transformative potential of digital innovation in tackling environmental challenges.
