National Water Information Systems A Tool to Support Integrated Water Resources Management in the Caribbean Trevor Thompson Land Use Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Grenada 5th Caribbean Environmental Forum - June 21-25, 2010 -Montego Bay, Jamaica
Introduction Outline Case Studies from the Caribbean Jamaica Grenada Water Information Systems on the Regional Scale in the Caribbean Centralized Data Management Contribution to Regional Initiatives Expansion of the NWIS
IWRM and Water Information Systems Water Information Systems allow to: Coordinate data dissemination and data sharing between data collectors and decision-makers Centralize and Standardize data collection across the multiple agencies and sectors involved in water management Provide easier access to timely information to assess a country s water resources for decision-making
Evolution of web-enabled NWIS in the Caribbean St. Lucia (2005) FAO Collaboration Lack political support Jamaica (2007) Based on St. Lucia model Independent financing Grenada (2008) Web based system, linked to Google Earth - Grenada CARIWIN collaboration Level of Complexity
The Jamaica System (WRAMIS) Hosted by the Water Resources Authority Free internet access via http://www.wra.gov.jm Data input only by the System Administrator No automatic link with in-house databases Regular input files prepared by WRA: Streamflow Water levels Only historical data for water quality
Data collection Type Stream flow Rain gauge Groundwater Recording 20 0 0 DCP loggers 33 20 0 With 1 4 0 telemetry Manually read 73 327 278 TOTAL 127 351 278
Structure of WRAMIS
Structure of WRAMIS Data can be accessed as a report, table or chart, or downloaded as.txt file Data input solely by WRA at this time But potential for other agencies to add their data layers to WRAMIS (e.g. rainfall information from Met Service)
Outcomes of WRAMIS Benefits Easier access to data Time savings at the WRA in providing data Challenges Software is now outdated Update would be costly Analysis done in independent software
The Grenada System (NWIS) Followed the drafting of a National Water Policy in 2008 Multi-stakeholder collaboration under the Caribbean Water Initiative (CARIWIN) Government of Grenada FAO Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) McGill University
CARIWIN CARIWIN s objectives include: 1) Making national water sector data systems compatible with IWRM principles 2) Strengthening CIMH national outreach program which provides water specialists and decisionmakers with tools for developing IWRM policies. Development of Grenada NWIS facilitated over 7 months
IP ADDRESS www.cariwin.gd
Grenada NWIS Development process 1 st Workshop: Information gathering exercise with data collectors, data users and stakeholders 2 nd Workshop & Launch: Data management, database administration, GIS features, web-based technologies
Primary data collection Data collected over 40 rainfall, agrometeorological and meteorological stations Streamflow data collections points Dams, water treatment plants and wells
MAP LAYERS IN SYSTEM SOILS LAND USE AGROCLIMATIC ZONES WATERSHEDS RIVERS ROADS METEO STATIONS TOPOGRAPHIC WATER INTAKE WATER BODIES ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARIES WATER STORAGE & PRODUCTION FACILITIES
Database Import Grenada NWIS Server Side Client Side INPUT GIS MapInfo Import Utilities TCP/IP Database Access MySQL Database Manager Client - Server Database Access WebMap Database Interface OUTPUT GIS MapInfo Data Time Series Data Time Series ASCII Administrartor Workstation Table Remote Client 1 MS Access MS Excel Attachements Database Intranet Network Remote Client i Export Utilities MS Excel Graph Documents Report Images Attachements Other Remote Client n View & Save Intranet (Internet) Web&Database Server
System Features Accessible via the internet at http://www.cariwin.gd User-friendly interface Raster and Vector Image Map Accepts various formats of primary data All objects in database are georeferenced Possible to restrict data access or charge access fees Data can be extracted in various formats Link to Google Earth
Types of data generated Tables Reports Chart File Excel spreadsheets, Graphs, Statistical Reports, Station Data,
CHART PREPARED FROM RAINFALL DATA
DOCUMENT ATTACHMENT IN SYSTEM
Outcomes Benefits Water Resource Assessment Information Sharing Inform media briefings, policy Source of income (sale of maps to private enterprises) Inexpensive to setup and operate 1 Staff, COST: US$32,000 for all Software, Hardware, Input of Data, Consultancy, Training Challenges Timely provision of data and reports Capacity building required to learn the software Lack of feedback from users Data analysis
Issues to be considered Expansion of the NWIS to include wider functions e.g. Forecasting, early warning, water quality Type, placement and maintenance of instrumentation for data collection Staff and incentives for data collection Data entry and prevention of error in transcribing each time data is transferred Data analysis, interpretation and dissemination Who uses the data? And for what purpose?
Suggestions for Improvement Establishing guidelines to ensure data accuracy Streamlining institutional arrangements Computerizing data entry in the field to reduce changes and errors Developing simple tools linked with IWRM Promoting additional application e.g. Crop production, IWRM planning
Water Information Systems on a Regional Scale
Centralized Data Management in the Caribbean Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) 1) Collect, analyse, and publish meteorological and hydrological data 2) Maintain a service for the upkeep, repair, and calibration of meteorological instruments
Contribution of NWIS to Information Provision by CIMH Duplication of the NWIS to a server housed at CIMH NWIS facilitates the process of transforming data into information products by CIMH: Precipitation outlook Monthly weather summaries Different types of data available on one system e.g. climatic data, streamflow and reservoirs
Links to Regional Initiatives 1) Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CDPMN) Centralized information base makes it easier for the CDPMN to monitor holistically the occurrences of drought in particular across the Region NWIS can provide not only rainfall data, but also information on streamflow, reservoirs and groundwater levels, along with water quality information for both Marine and Freshwater
Links to Regional Initiatives 2) Caribbean Agrometeorological Initiative (CAMI) Provision of meaningful information to the farming and wider agricultural communities Access to information related to water loss and irrigation needs Other climate-related activities e.g. Pest and disease predictability, crop weather modeling
Expansion of the NWIS in the Caribbean NWIS will enable countries to provide their own data Ongoing development of a NWIS in Guyana Caribbean Disaster Management (CADM) Phase II Will build on the prior installations of the NWIS in Grenada, Jamaica and St. Lucia to provide a new standard Upgrades from the Guyana system should also be applied to existing systems in the Caribbean
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CO-AUTHORS Marie-Claire St-Jacques, Catherine Senecal, Chandra A. Madramootoo. Brace Centre for Water Resources Management, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada Andreas Haiduk Water Resources Authority, PO Box 91, Hope Gardens, Kingston 7, Jamaica Adrian Trotman Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), P.O. Box 130, Bridgetown, Barbados ORGANISERS OF CEF5: CEHI, IWCAM
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