Thanks to an exchange program managed by ICMA, a water conservation program in Dubuque, Iowa was the inspiration for a similar program in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Dubuque was working with IBM Watson Research Center's "Smarter Planet" Initiative, and Townsville had previously been awarded an IBM Smarter City Challenge.

The two cities came together in an exchange visit, and Townsville replicated the water conservation portal that had been implemented in Dubuque. The Australian municipality won the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia’s prestigious National Infrastructure Award for Smart Infrastructure in March 2013. The partnerships involved in these exchanges played an invaluable role in information exchange, idea sharing and creating more sustainable communities all over the globe. 

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