Ensuring Sustainable Water Resources Management through the Development of Monitoring Networks, Data Bases Integration and State-of-the-art Decision Support Systems

For successful management of water resources at various levels of management, it is necessary to have adequate and accuracy information and its availability on time and place. A reliable forecasting capability is fundamental to an early warning for meteorological, hydrological, and climate-related hazards. These warnings are vital because weather hazards and related events jointly cause more economic damage and losses of lives than other natural disasters. In recent decades, such damage has been increasing, and climate change may make such events even more dangerous. In other words, although exposure to hazards cannot be avoided, the potential ensuing disasters can be mitigated.

This article describes and assesses the key components of a real-time water information systems, with particular reference to the experiences carried out by our company (Eptisa) in recent years and the best practices that can be inferred from such broad experience.

Eptisa´s contribution to Water Information Systems development aims to facilitate access to regional surface and ground water data and information to stakeholders, by establishing baseline & reference conditions of water quantity/quality and determining long-term trends, by using analytical tools and information services to improve handling routines in management of water resources, water infrastructures, i.e. planning, modelling & operating, and enabling measuring response to remedial measures and regulatory decisions, by detecting emerging issues and threats, as well as modernizing institutions into increasing people skills & knowledge and thus enhancing institutional capacities

From the outset, upgrading information systems needs to be focused on data management that will facilitate answering key policy questions, assist water users in making significant decisions more effectively, and allow businesses and government to better address risks from water-related events.

Based on Eptisa experience, a four-pronged approach is usually adopted to achieve the following objectives:

• modernizing monitoring, including establishing comprehensive, automated, real-time monitoring and data management systems nation-wide for surface and groundwater, both quality and quantity

• enhancing analytical tools for water resources management, hydrologic and flood inundation forecasting, groundwater modeling, and river basin and investment planning

• Using decision support system for a safety operation of water infrastructures and warning systems under emergency scenarios.

• transforming knowledge access, using cloud computing, internet, mobile devices, social media and other communication tools to modernize access to and visualization of customized water information by all stakeholders