Hydrology Water Resource Symposium: Canberra 2025
- Oliver Ashton
- Nov 17, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 3, 2025
Sophia Buchanan, ANZ Regional Product Lead for Flood Products at Jacobs
Introduction
I’m excited to be attending the Hydrology Water Resource Symposium (HWRS) this year in Canberra. So often I’m busy sharing product knowledge at the trade stand or presenting myself that I can’t relax and let my brain absorb all the presentations as much as id’ like, but this year, I can do just that as just an attendee.
Good timing too because there are plenty of presentations. I’m eager to see and learn from:
Modelling Nature-based Flood Mitigation in Australia: Addressing Scale, Data, Computational Costs, and Uncertainties
Presented by Hamdi Sedighkia, Roslyn Prinsley, Barry Croke and Jason Alexandra
Development and application of pre-burst temporal pattern ensembles for design flood hydrology
Presented by my Jacobs colleagues - Graigan Panosot, Samantha Watt and Richard Sharpe
Simplified Ensemble Design Event Approach
Presented by Donnie Carroll, Katrina Kelly, Abdur Rauf and Mahnaz Sedigh
Location, Location, Location
Canberra is one of my favourite travel destinations when it comes to conferences, dry air, good coffee, and a great library! It is the birthplace of some great Australian hydrologic research that went into the development of XPRAFTS. I’m looking forward to catching up with some of the legends in Australian hydrology and witnessing the knowledge transfer to those up and coming, something I hope to see more of often.
What a Difference a Year Makes
When I attended HWRS in Melbourne last year, I was just three weeks into my new role at Jacobs, and Flood Platform hadn’t yet been made available to organisations. Fast forward to today and so much has changed. Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with some incredible people through my role, and we’ve officially launched Flood Platform!
Shifts in the Current: Post-Event Highlights
This year’s HWRS event felt refreshingly different. A week that is usually highly technical seemed softer, with a keynote from Prof Ariella Helfgott focused on decision-making and ‘minimising maximum regrets’. There was also a strong focus on open data, clearer public communication, and greater consideration of history (larger floods) and diverse perspectives. I’m excited to return home and watch the rest of ‘The Kimberley’ on ABC iView, a documentary by the world’s natural water museum.
Highlights included reconnecting with colleagues I hadn’t seen in years and discovering just how many share a passion for water beyond our professional circles. The only lowlight was Queensland’s disappointing performance in the hydrological games.
If you were unable to attend HWRS and want your Flood Platform questions answered, get in touch with us today!
Sophia Buchanan
Sophia is the ANZ Product Lead for Flood Products at Jacobs. Growing up surrounded by waterways on Australia’s coastline, Sophia is passionate about supporting peers in ANZ with technology that solves water problems.
