Four years of “blood, sweat and tears” has led to local software business Scolari Software being honoured at the National 2008 Savewater! Awards in Melbourne on Friday.

Scolari Software’s associate company WaterTrack won the award in the product innovation category for their product directors say will save gigalitres of water.

A judging panel of 45 water experts from across Australia selected the 37 finalists from more than 800 entries.

WaterTrack beat multinationals Kodak, and its printing process that did not require water, and the Skycore Group in the final.

With the WaterTrack Optimiser and Rapid already finding its place on the market, director Peter Scolari said winning the award was the icing on the cake.

“We do have something magnificent,” Mr Scolari said.

WaterTrack enables farmers to identify where their precious water is being used, through losses due to evaporation or seepage from canals and drains, the directors say.

The project was initially going to take 12 months, but instead took four years, Mr Scolari said.

“It’s been four years of blood, sweat and tears but worth it in the long run,” he said.

Both WaterTrack Optimiser and Rapid are currently distributed through a network of agricultural and irrigation consultants, and directly to the farmer and Rapid is available online.

The products were used by companies doing research including the National Water Commission and the Queensland and New South Wales departments of primary industries, Mr Scolari said.

They want to get it rolled out in Australia, but are also looking at the overseas market and have recently received an inquiry from Greece, he said.

The directors paid tribute to the company’s chief software designer Luke Poga, who “lived, breathed and ate” WaterTrack.

The Safewater! Awards seek to acknowledge and facilitate the promotion of excellence in sustainable water practices, encourage innovation and action by organisers and further the cause of sustainability through water practices.

faye.wheeler@ruralpress.com