Innovate the Lake
Erie Hack is an innovation challenge that accelerates technology solutions to Lake Erie’s most pressing problems. Launched in 2017 and run for a second time in 2019, the program is led by the Cleveland Water Alliance in collaboration with partners in Detroit, Toledo, Ohio, Erie, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y. and Windsor, Ontario. Together these partners engage the region’s best minds to work for our most precious resource.
In 2019, Erie Hack 2.0 culminated in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 20 around the 50th anniversary of the burning of the Cuyahoga River.
2019 Winners
First Place – TACSO, Cleveland
TACSO is dedicated to providing small utilities with solutions for trapping plastics before they reach our Great Lake.
Second Place – CCTronic, Toledo
This company from Toledo, OH builds technologies to monitor and manage soil and water resources to help the agricultural industry improve soil health, water safety, and maximize profit. Read more about CCTronic.
Third Place – ErieDuction, Cleveland
A group of undergraduate entrepreneurs from John Carroll University, this team pitched a solution to reduce phosphorus from water resources with an infrastructure system filtration.
People’s Choice Award Winners – UWin Team
Focused on using unmanned aerial vehicles to collect imaging data of the lake that can be used in hydrodynamic models of the lake, this team of University Windsor students took home the People’s Choice Award. Read more.
CHALLENGE STATEMENTS
In 2016, Cleveland Water Alliance worked with the Creativity & Innovation Team at NASA Glenn Research Center to develop a unique collaborative idea generation process. These “Ideation Sessions” were designed around the goal of identifying the most pressing challenges facing the Lake Erie Basin. Representatives of more than 150 water and technology organizations participated and contributed their expertise. This process gave birth to seven core Challenge Statements for Erie Hack.
The Challenge Statements are the guiding force of the Erie Hack. Each participating team will choose one or more challenge statements to “hack” for the competition. Each statement addresses a broad area of concern as well as a few possible entry points for a technical solution. Teams’ effectiveness in creating a viable solution will be essential to their success in the competition.
Data
To maximize the impact of each team’s project, the Cleveland Water Alliance is partnering with Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) to curate a robust collection of data sets and tools relevant to the competition’s Challenge Statements. Comprised of data from a broad range of sources throughout the Basin, this resource will inform and empower teams’ efforts to create the most innovative coding and engineering solutions for our lake. Click here to visit the GLOS website and access data resources. For technical support contact TadSlawecki at tslawecki@limno.com. If you are interested in contributing additional data to the Erie Hack or accessing specific data sources, please contact Cleveland Water Alliance at ErieHack@clewa.org.
Past Success
In its first year in 2017, Erie Hack made some notable achievements, including:
- Generating more than 40 innovative solutions to water challenges.
- Engaging more than 100 partner organizations.
- Attracting media coverage from over more than 150 press outlets globally.
- Awarding over $100,000 in prize money and acceleration services to top performing teams.
Other Key Outcomes:
- Six Key Challenges Identified by Community Ideation.
- 200+ Participating Innovators on 40+ Competing Teams.
- 100+ Collaborating Organizations Engaged.
- 22 Public Events in 6 Cities and 2 Countries.
- Coverage by NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
- Press Coverage in 39 States, D.C., and Ontario.
- 90% Teams “See water resources and work in our region as more significant.”
- 73% Teams “More interested in water-based innovation.”
- Continued Engagement with 11 Teams including involvement in numerous projects, grant applications, and funding opportunities.
Erie Hack Finalists (2017):
Extreme Comms (Buffalo) – Acoustic telemetry- based WiFi capable of transmitting high volumes of data underwater.
Micro Buoy (Detroit) – Nano-sensors for phosphorous, nitrogen and lead, powered by a custom a micro-battery.
Plex Net (Toledo) – 3D-printed aquatic drones designed to detect, capture, and repurpose harmful algae as it forms.
Orbitist (Buffalo) – Connecting communities to the value of water through visualization and a crowd-sourced data app.
Water Warriors (Cleveland) – Open-Source, 3D-printed spectrometers to engage youth in citizen science.
Hydrosense (Cleveland)– Distributed network of low-cost, real-time water quality sensors for harmful algae detection.
Purily (Detroit) – App that connects communities to the value of water by gamifying household water conservation.
Water Watchers (Buffalo) – SMS client to share and receive critical water safety information without internet access.
Fish.io.ai (Cleveland) – App for fishers that identifies catches, shares regulatory info, and crowd sources catch data.
Innovate the Lake
Erie Hack is an innovation challenge that accelerates technology solutions to Lake Erie’s most pressing problems. Launched in 2017 and run for a second time in 2019, the program is led by the Cleveland Water Alliance in collaboration with partners in Detroit, Toledo, Ohio, Erie, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y. and Windsor, Ontario. Together these partners engage the region’s best minds to work for our most precious resource.
In 2019, Erie Hack 2.0 culminated in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 20 around the 50th anniversary of the burning of the Cuyahoga River.
2019 Winners
First Place – TACSO, Cleveland
TACSO is dedicated to providing small utilities with solutions for trapping plastics before they reach our Great Lake.
Second Place – CCTronic, Toledo
This company from Toledo, OH builds technologies to monitor and manage soil and water resources to help the agricultural industry improve soil health, water safety, and maximize profit. Read more about CCTronic.
Third Place – ErieDuction, Cleveland
A group of undergraduate entrepreneurs from John Carroll University, this team pitched a solution to reduce phosphorus from water resources with an infrastructure system filtration.
People’s Choice Award Winners – UWin Team
Focused on using unmanned aerial vehicles to collect imaging data of the lake that can be used in hydrodynamic models of the lake, this team of University Windsor students took home the People’s Choice Award. Read more.
CHALLENGE STATEMENTS
In 2016, Cleveland Water Alliance worked with the Creativity & Innovation Team at NASA Glenn Research Center to develop a unique collaborative idea generation process. These “Ideation Sessions” were designed around the goal of identifying the most pressing challenges facing the Lake Erie Basin. Representatives of more than 150 water and technology organizations participated and contributed their expertise. This process gave birth to seven core Challenge Statements for Erie Hack.
The Challenge Statements are the guiding force of the Erie Hack. Each participating team will choose one or more challenge statements to “hack” for the competition. Each statement addresses a broad area of concern as well as a few possible entry points for a technical solution. Teams’ effectiveness in creating a viable solution will be essential to their success in the competition.
Data
To maximize the impact of each team’s project, the Cleveland Water Alliance is partnering with Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) to curate a robust collection of data sets and tools relevant to the competition’s Challenge Statements. Comprised of data from a broad range of sources throughout the Basin, this resource will inform and empower teams’ efforts to create the most innovative coding and engineering solutions for our lake. Click here to visit the GLOS website and access data resources. For technical support contact TadSlawecki at tslawecki@limno.com. If you are interested in contributing additional data to the Erie Hack or accessing specific data sources, please contact Cleveland Water Alliance at ErieHack@clewa.org.
Past Success
In its first year in 2017, Erie Hack made some notable achievements, including:
- Generating more than 40 innovative solutions to water challenges.
- Engaging more than 100 partner organizations.
- Attracting media coverage from over more than 150 press outlets globally.
- Awarding over $100,000 in prize money and acceleration services to top performing teams.
Other Key Outcomes:
- Six Key Challenges Identified by Community Ideation.
- 200+ Participating Innovators on 40+ Competing Teams.
- 100+ Collaborating Organizations Engaged.
- 22 Public Events in 6 Cities and 2 Countries.
- Coverage by NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
- Press Coverage in 39 States, D.C., and Ontario.
- 90% Teams “See water resources and work in our region as more significant.”
- 73% Teams “More interested in water-based innovation.”
- Continued Engagement with 11 Teams including involvement in numerous projects, grant applications, and funding opportunities.
Erie Hack Finalists (2017):
Extreme Comms (Buffalo) – Acoustic telemetry- based WiFi capable of transmitting high volumes of data underwater.
Micro Buoy (Detroit) – Nano-sensors for phosphorous, nitrogen and lead, powered by a custom a micro-battery.
Plex Net (Toledo) – 3D-printed aquatic drones designed to detect, capture, and repurpose harmful algae as it forms.
Orbitist (Buffalo) – Connecting communities to the value of water through visualization and a crowd-sourced data app.
Water Warriors (Cleveland) – Open-Source, 3D-printed spectrometers to engage youth in citizen science.
Hydrosense (Cleveland)– Distributed network of low-cost, real-time water quality sensors for harmful algae detection.
Purily (Detroit) – App that connects communities to the value of water by gamifying household water conservation.
Water Watchers (Buffalo) – SMS client to share and receive critical water safety information without internet access.
Fish.io.ai (Cleveland) – App for fishers that identifies catches, shares regulatory info, and crowd sources catch data.