OneAquaHealth IEEE Global Hackathon: Participation insights and upcoming learning sessions
The OneAquaHealth project continues to advance its mission of improving urban freshwater ecosystem health and human wellbeing through research, innovation, and active community engagement. A central pillar of this engagement is the OneAquaHealth IEEE Global Hackathon 2026, which has already attracted so far more than 270 registered participants from across the globe. This growing community reflects a dynamic mix of innovators: 98 participants are currently working solo, 89 are actively searching for teammates, and 85 have already formed established teams. The hackathon also showcases a rich spectrum of expertise, ranging from full‑stack developers, data scientists, designers, and mobile developers to specialists in AI automation and business innovation. Technical skills represented in the community span Python, C++, JavaScript, Java, SQL, HTML, CSS, and modern frameworks such as React, illustrating the multidisciplinary strength behind the submitted ideas and prototypes. Motivated by the opportunity to compete for the $3,000 cash prize, participants are developing solutions that align with OneAquaHealth’s vision for smarter environmental monitoring, biodiversity assessment, and AI‑supported early‑warning systems. This dynamic environment underscores the importance of the project’s learning webinar series, which equips participants with the scientific, ecological, and digital foundations needed to build impactful solutions. With two successful sessions already completed, the series now moves toward its next chapter: a deep dive into the digital principles powering OneAquaHealth’s environmental intelligence tools.
Recap of the first two related learning webinars
Introducing the OneAquaHealth Project 🎥
The opening webinar provided participants with a clear overview of the project’s goals, methodologies, and expected impact. Speakers introduced the scientific basis of OneAquaHealth, demonstrating how environmental and human‑generated data can be transformed into actionable insights for healthier, more resilient cities. This session helped hackathon teams understand the broader ecosystem challenges their solutions aim to address.
The second webinar explored how natural systems inspire innovative approaches to ecosystem monitoring and restoration. Participants learned how ecological dynamics, biological patterns, and nature‑based principles guide the development of OneAquaHealth’s tools and methodologies. For hackathon teams, this session offered valuable inspiration for designing solutions that work with nature rather than against it.
💡 Upcoming Webinar: One Digital Health & FAIR Principles
Date: July 15th, 2026
Time: 17:00 CET
Location: Online
The next learning session will introduce participants to the digital foundations behind the OneAquaHealth project. Building on the insights shared in previous webinars, this session will focus on how One Digital Health (ODH) frameworks and FAIR data principles – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable — enable transparent, connected, and trustworthy environmental intelligence.
Speakers will demonstrate how FAIR‑aligned digital tools developed within OneAquaHealth, including:
- the Environmental Surveillance System,
- the Decision & Support System,
- the Citizen Science App,
support smarter environmental monitoring, early‑warning indicators, and AI‑assisted decision‑making. Participants will gain insight into how these digital components empower researchers, policymakers, and communities to work collaboratively toward resilient aquatic ecosystems.
This webinar is especially relevant for hackathon teams working on data‑driven prototypes, AI‑supported tools, or digital interfaces that rely on interoperable and reusable datasets.
Join us and continue the learning journey!
The OneAquaHealth webinar series is designed to equip hackathon participants – and the broader community – with the scientific, ecological, and digital knowledge needed to build impactful solutions for freshwater ecosystem health.
We invite all interested stakeholders, innovators, and hackathon teams to join the upcoming session and explore how digital principles shape the future of environmental health.
Author(s): SYNYO GmbH