Page 60 - CIWA Water Data Revolution Overview Report

indicated their use of data products outside of those specifically asked about in the survey, which
included in-house information knowledge portals and data products used by individual member
states within their organization.

The status of data product usage by RBOs and ROs indicates a familiarity with products designed
to harness RS, especially GEE. However, the overall usage of data platforms and products can be
increased. According to the interviews, several organizations indicated that they were familiar
with certain data products but were unable to apply them in routine practice, primarily due to
lack of trained technical staff. Moreover, the respondents indicated limited ability to apply data
products to a diverse set of scenarios. For example, some organizations stated they used GEE,
but they only used it rarely to assess one specific watershed disturbance, like deforestation.
Among the constraints identified through this assessment (described in 7.5), a lack of staffing
with the necessary expertise to utilize data products and financial constraints were key issues
preventing organizations from incorporating data products into their routine operations. Based
on the follow-up interviews, there also appears to be a lack of awareness regarding existing, free,
or public-domain data products, such as those included in this assessment (with the exception of
the IWMI Digital Data and Tools). Building the capacity of technical staff to utilize analysis-ready
RS data platforms for a range of scenarios and applications, as well increasing staff exposure to
free or low-cost tools, will enable RBOs and ROs to increase their ability to effectively and
economically make data-driven and informed decisions on their shared resources at a basin level.

7.3 Use of Analytical Tools

RBOs and ROs were asked if they use analytical tools to perform the following functions: tracking
of the status and trends in water supply, demand, accessibility, and use (referred to as water
accounting); flood monitoring (including hazard mapping and forecasting); flood early warning
systems (FEWS); drought monitoring (including hazard mapping and forecasting); monitoring of
surface water quality (e.g., clarity and chlorophyll-a); and quantification of water storage in
reservoirs. 14 of the 18 organizations stated they used an analytical tool for at least one of these
functions. Figure 7 depicts the responses by the organizations.

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