GRAVITY 08

AquaWatch-AUK Edition

Deadline for Innovator Applications: 20 July 2025 | 23:59 UTC

Harnessing ground-to-space monitoring to tackle the most pressing water quality issues.

Will you take on the challenge?

GRAVITY Challenge

Deloitte’s global Space innovation program connecting real world problems with the people who can solve them.

Since 2019, we’ve brought together industry leaders from public and private organisations, data & technology enablers, and innovators to tackle the world’s most pressing economic, social and environmental problems using the best of today’s space-enabled data and technology.

A Special GRAVITY Round

AquaWatch-AUK Edition

  • As an extension of the AquaWatch-AUK program, co-funded by the Australian and UK Space Agencies, this round of the GRAVITY Challenge focuses on leveraging the power of ground-to-space monitoring capabilities to solve a range of water quality issues in both nations.

  • Droughts, algal blooms, sediment plumes, and invisible pollutants are no longer future threats, they’re present-day disruptors. Whether it’s the water we drink, the crops we grow, the seafood we eat, or the rivers we swim in, water quality touches every part of our lives and economy.

    And the pressure is rising. Climate extremes, outdated infrastructure, industrial pollution, and land use change are stretching water systems past their limits.

    Poor water quality is already costing us: in lost agricultural yield, fish kills, treatment costs, product recalls, and environmental damage.

  • All participating Innovator teams will be required to collaborate with relevant members of the AquaWatch-AUK program and explore how AquaWatch capabilities can support the development of their solutions.

    To facilitate this collaboration, the AquaWatch-AUK team will provide:

    • Webinars/Walkthrough Videos on AquaWatch capabilities, and relevant use cases

    • Access to Key Datasets relevant to water quality monitoring in applicable regions

    • Scientific Mentoring from water quality researchers and domain experts

    • Ongoing Technical and Strategic Support throughout the challenge

    This collaboration is aimed at encouraging innovative solutions and helping teams co-design impactful, real-world solutions to water-related challenges.

Are you a start-up, scale-up, high-growth business or university using space capabilities?

GRAVITY 08 Challenges

Our Challenge Providers need your help designing solutions to their water quality monitoring Challenges.

Read more about their challenge scope below.

Beyond the Bucket:

Reimagining Environmental Sampling from Space

Develop a scalable model that accurately classifies and predicts chlorophyll-a concentrations in diverse inland and coastal water bodies using EO, in-situ, and historical datasets.

  • This challenge aims to transform how chlorophyll-a, a key ecological indicator, is monitored across a wide variety of inland and coastal water bodies. Currently dependent on sparse, single-point field manual monthly sampling, the solution should integrate EO-derived parameters (e.g. chlorophyll, temperature from AquaWatch), historic sampling datasets, and sensor inputs to enable model-driven classification and forecasting. Innovators are expected to focus on enhancing spatial and temporal coverage particularly during the growing season when algal bloom activity peaks. The proposed methodology should be tested across a representative subset of large, socially significant water bodies and demonstrate alignment with regulatory reporting standards. The goal is to use EO data to complement field sampling and enable broader, more efficient ecological status reporting under a regulatory framework. While visualisation tools aren’t required, reproducibility, transparency, and Azure compatibility are desirable.

  • Must-Have:

    • Chlorophyll-a

    • Temperature

    • Historical bloom patterns

    Nice to have:

    • Phytoplankton abundance

    • Phytoplankton Functional Types (PFT)

    • Cyanobacteria / Blue-green algae

    • Total cell counts

    • Biovolume

    • Water transparency (e.g. Secchi Disk)

    • Turbidity

    • Vertical attenuation/Kd

    • Total Suspended Matter

    • Dissolved Oxygen

    • Water Surface Temperature

    • Water Column Depth (Bathymetry)

Tracking Pollutant Pathways & Water Quality Impact

From Catchment to Coast:

Build an integrated system to trace, model, understand and predict water quality degradation and pollutant risks (such as algal bloom and faecal microbes) in Port Phillip Bay by tracking storm-driven nutrient and sediment load pathways from catchments to the coast using EO and in-situ data.

  • This challenge seeks an integrated, data-driven system that maps how sediment and nutrient loads, particularly during major rainfall events, move from rivers and urban catchments into Port Phillip Bay. Innovators must integrate EO datasets with in-situ monitoring and predictive analytics to identify pollution sources such as the Western Treatment Plant, and the Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra and Patterson Rivers. Innovators must also model localised load dynamics and forecast pollutant risk onset and severity. Key outputs include early warnings, bloom classification (including toxicity risk), traceability to contributing catchments or discharge points, and a conceptual diagram of algal bloom trigger events. The solution must complement existing monitoring networks, with potential for integration into current systems.

  • Must-Have:

    • Nutrients

    • Sediments

    • Chlorophyll-a (toxicity)

    Nice to have:

    • Phycocyanin (cyanobacteria proxy)

    • Total Phosphorus

    • Total Inorganic Nitrogen (e.g. Nitrate-N)

    • Algal toxins

    • Dissolved Oxygen

    • Turbidity

    • Total Suspended Matter

    • Temperature

    • Pathogens

    • Organic micro-pollutants

    • Water surface height

    • Microplastics *

    • Salinity / Conductivity

    • Floating and submerged vegetation

Innovator

Journey

  • Context

    We collaborated with progressive organisations to identify genuine water quality monitoring issues, where ground-to-space monitoring could be part of the solution. These Challenge Statements are now available on the GRAVITY Website.

  • Step 1: Apply

    After reading through the Challenge Statements, interested Innovators must form a team of at least 3 members and apply to work with the Challenge Provider organisation they believe their skills most align to and/or which challenge interests them the most.

  • Step 2: Innovate

    Successful Innovator Teams move onto the next phase where they gain access to our exclusive Innovator Platform and begin working 1:1 with their Challenge Provider to develop their solution.

    Teams will be given access to Challenge Briefs, Explainer videos, mentorship from GRAVITY’s Data & Technology Enablers, scientists, and subject matter experts.

  • Step 3: Pitch & Propose

    It’s time to share your hard work!

    Innovator teams deliver a live pitch and business proposal outlining the solution that’s been designed and the roadmap to implementation.

  • Step 4: Scale

    The winning teams or “Challenge Champions” will be announced at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025 held in Sydney. After which, Champions begin planning with their Challenge Provider on how they can activate the pilot of their proposed solution.

Innovator

Benefits

  • Direct contact with Corporate and Public Sector businesses with real use cases and real end-customers.

  • Technical, Commercial and Scientific Mentorship and support from Deloitte’s GRAVITY Challenge team and venture building experts, the AquaWatch-AUK Program partners, scientists, water quality researchers and domain experts.

  • Privileged access to key datasets relevant to water quality monitoring in applicable regions including more than 20 years of historic, and current satellite data from the AquaWatch-AUK program partners.

  • Full IP ownership of the solution developed during the program.

  • Guidance from Deloitte’s GRAVITY Challenge team during the scale phase to support the pilot of solutions, if selected as the “Challenge Champion” (winning team).

Join an exclusive cohort of global talent in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.

Our GRAVITY Challenge Alumni

  • Prateek Srivastava - Vice President – EMEA, Cropin

    Finalists for the Northern Territory Government Challenge and the Bolney Wine Estate Challenge

    “I've had the fortune of doing GRAVITY last year as well and I think it's an incredible platform which allows you to look at a variety of unique challenges. You get to work on different things, from wine to cotton, we were able to work within the same landscapes so it’s extremely rewarding to be able to get that on a single platform.”

  • Lucy Kennedy – CEO and Co-Founder, Spotttitt

    Champions for the Transport for NSW Challenge

    “I've been involved in GRAVITY two times before and both times have ended up in a paid monitoring contract so, it really has value on the bottom line. The most rewarding part of GRAVITY has always been working with the Deloitte team and the Challenge Providers. They're all professionals in their areas of expertise and they're all looking to get the best out of the GRAVITY Innovators.”

  • Patrick Kage – Senior Scientist, SpaceRake

    Champions for the Transgrid Challenge

    “GRAVITY has been a great way to connect meaningfully with companies, real-world challenges, in a structured way that sets us both up for success. The most rewarding part of the challenge so far has been meeting and working very close to the people that will be using our solutions. We were able to propose our solution, iterate quickly and converge in order to be able to solve very technically complex problems and show very clear value to our customers.”

  • Lusya Manukyan – Plant Biologist, Deep Planet

    Finalists for the Bolney Wine Estate Challenge

    “The most exciting part for me during this journey has been presenting our results in the one on one sessions with the Bolney Wine Estate team and seeing the excitement with which they received these results. It's been a great opportunity to get their feedback which has helped us co-develop and shape the future development of our tools.”

  • Fabio Volkmann – EU Partnerships Manager, Climate Farmers

    Champions for the Planet Labs Challenge

    “The most rewarding part of GRAVITY has been working in close collaboration with farmers and getting their feedback on our solutions. Beyond just using high resolution satellite data, we learned that this data is needed in order to bring trust and transparency to the agri-food system in Europe and across the globe.”

  • Niccolò Teodori – Chief Growth Officer, Spottitt

    Finalists for the Transgrid Challenge

    “The most rewarding part of the challenge was to truly speak to the customer. Usually, innovation challenges consist of a pitch and, when you're lucky, a Q&A session. But the GRAVITY Challenge really allows you to sit every week with your customer, get prepared and deeply understand their needs. This makes sure that the business proposal is successful and the long-term relationship with the customer as well.”

  • Dr Moira Smith - Chief Technology Officer, DCAT

    Finalists for the Telstra InfraCo Challenge

    “We learned so much particularly around Telstra's needs, the challenges they face, and really scoping what needs to be done as a solution. We've also been able to solidify the knowledge that we have through the GRAVITY Challenge as we get alot of support from Deloitte and from their Partners.”

  • David Carter - CEO, Deep Planet

    Champions for the Alliance Wine Challenge and Finalists for the Planet Labs Challenge

    “It was a real pleasure doing the GRAVITY Challenge, we had such a great time collaborating to really come up with a solution that met the needs of sustainable viticulture, agriculture, and measuring carbon. It was such a great experience to work with like-minded people who really want to solve this problem and make a difference for the planet.”

  • Ankit Vasisht – Team Lead, GAIA SPACE

    Finalists for the Telstra InfraCo Challenge

    “At GAIA, we are always aiming for solutions that have such meaningful impact on society. GRAVITY has been this amazing platform that has enabled this for us by offering us a place to innovate, learn, and solve this problem together.”

  • Nathan Magnall – InSAR Applications Lead, SatSense

    Finalists for the Transport for NSW Challenge and Investment NSW Space to Grow Awardee

    “The most rewarding aspect has been getting to work onsite with people who would potentially be using our data. Since participating in GRAVITY we've been able to focus and refine our product which will ultimately help us to deliver more value to our clients.”

  • Andreina Romero - Founder, ALMOSTO

    Finalists for the Alliance Wine Challene

    “Participating in the GRAVITY Challenge with our partners, Big Terra, has been a true collaborative approach between multi-disciplinary teams. We have gained greater insight into the climate adaptation challenges of not only winegrowers but other stakeholders along the value chain. We validated the need to combine vineyard's soil and satellite data to bring transparency in the sustainability journey of the wine industry.”

  • Pavel Juruš – Founder and CEO, Big Terra

    Finalists for the Alliance Wine Challenge

    “The GRAVITY Challenge helped us make a huge leap forwards. We now have direct contact, not only to Alliance Wine, but to a larger group of wine growers and wine makers which is something that would have taken much longer and would be much harder for us to do without the Challenge.”

  • Andy Edmonds – Chief Technology Officer, Terraview

    Champions for the Bolney Wine Estate Challenge

    “Most rewarding has been the chance to innovate together as a team along with our Challenge Provider, Bolney Wine Estate. Those customer centred interactions are hugely valuable and insightful to us.”

  • Andrea Montieri – Business Development, LATITUDO 40

    Champions for the Hello Tractor Challenge

    “The most rewarding part of the GRAVITY has been developing this technology because this is the first time we were able to help local people regarding very immediate needs: The need to understand which areas of Kenya are most in danger of burning and which areas in Kenya are ideal for grazing animals.”

  • Hugh Sturrock – CEO, Loamin

    Collaborated with the Soil Association Exchange

    “I think the most valuable thing we've learned is that some of the innovations and methods that we are putting together need explaining. We need to be able to clearly articulate how they work, what's novel about them, what's unique and sets us apart from the field.”

APPLY AS AN INNOVATOR