Page 11 - CIWA Water Data Revolution Overview Report

Water Data Revolution: Closing the data gap for transboundary water in Africa

faceted approach that ensures both utility and transparency. This includes: (i) a “top-down”
approach to connect innovation and technologies accessible to the users and to identify “fit-for-
purpose” at scale, (ii) a “bottom-up” user-driven approach to understand and address end-users’
specific data requirements and to identify and support commonalities among them, and (iii) a

“middleware” approach that bridges providers and users through scalable platforms. By aligning
technological solutions with user needs, this holistic approach not only improves data
accessibility but also fosters transparency, trust, and cooperation among African countries sharing
transboundary water resources.

2. Water Data Revolution Program

2.1 Objectives and goals

The development objective of the WDR program is to build regional institutional capacity and
demonstrate applications of remote-sensing data platforms to improve management of
transboundary water in Africa.

The WDR is a transformative initiative focused on enhancing the sustainable management of
transboundary water resources across Africa by strengthening institutional capacities to collect,
store, and analyze data for informed decision-making. The project's primary objective is to bridge
critical data gaps by leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as remote sensing (RS), which
provides scalable and cost-effective solutions for monitoring water resources across vast and

often inaccessible areas.

Through its focus on reducing the cost and complexity of water data collection and analysis, the
WDR aims to make water data and information accessible to decision-makers. By connecting
them with demand-driven analytical tools and state-of-the-art RS products, the initiative

empowers water organizations (e.g. RBOs) to adopt data-driven approaches, promoting
sustainable water management practices across Africa's river basins. Additionally, the program
integrates capacity-building efforts to ensure that institutional stakeholders can effectively
translate this data into actionable strategies for addressing water resource challenges.

Figure 2 illustrates the WDR's systematic approach, illustrating the progression from raw RS data
to processed data products, through advanced analytical tools, and ultimately to decision-ready
information that supports strategic water management.

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