Open Data for Sustainable Water Management
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
Data on WaterCollected by a Multitude of Agencies and Organizations Around the WorldAllow Researchers to Track and Observe Water Across Scales and Timeframes
Data from satellites provide information on groundwater levels, allowing researchers to identify potential challenges for people and ecosystems. Satellite data are also beginning to be used to assess water quality across large areas, with frequent measurements from space meaning that sudden changes in water quality can be identified more quickly than when relying on on-the-ground sampling. Satellite-based data also offer a "leapfrog" technology for developing countries that lack an established ground-based monitoring network.
The AfriGEOSS program, part of theGlobal Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), is expected to help African agencies respond to natural disasters such as floods and forest fires by supporting the direct download of satellite data. Many government agencies in developed countries provide public access to information on water resources, such as real-time flow data available from the US Geological Survey. It is encouraging that developing countries are embracing this concept, as exemplified by the Kenya Open Data Initiative, which is intended to make key government data freely available to the public through a single online portal, and includes a water point mapping tool.
This virtual flood of information on water offers a potential for both research and evidence-based management of water resources. Collecting and analyzing data and water can also help to connect researchers and governments with individual water users, raising awareness of water management challenges and supporting transparency in water governance. This potential can only be fully realized, however, if data are available and accessible in a form that supports their further use.
The full and open exchange of data is a key aspect of theData Sharing Principlesestablished by GEOSS. In practice, this requires careful attention to metadata (i.e., descriptive information about data that supports their use) and data interoperability (i.e., a functional level of consistency that allows systems to work together). These technical aspects, despite their complexity, may well be the easiest part of the puzzle to solve. The European Union (EU), for example, has developed rigorous guidelines to support the exchange and interoperability of geospatial data collected through INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) and promotes data accessibility though the EU Open Data Portal.
A more difficult challenge is posed by legal restrictions and data ownership, which vary across - and sometimes even within - countries. Some agencies that collect data are also tasked with partially recovering their costs through the sale of data products, meaning that only some of their data products are freely and openly available. These kind of restrictions on the application of data in water resources management constitute a real barrier for researchers, limiting knowledge-sharing and potentially hindering the development of tools for water users.
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