International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre website: www.igrac.nl
“Groundwater information and knowledge:
bringing together, using and sharing”
Frans Roelofsen and Slavek Vasak
IWRM workshop Cairo, April 2005
An initiative of UNESCO and WMO
Introduction of IGRAC
− What is IGRAC?
− Main activities
Groundwater information and knowledge in different stages:
− Bringing together
− Using
− Sharing
Discussion
Content presentation:
What is IGRAC?
An initiative of UNESCO and WMO, launched spring 2003 with a non-commercial profile
“A centre that facilitates and promotes global sharing of
information and knowledge required for sustainable groundwater resources development and management”
Subject: information & knowledge (no data)
Target group: International Groundwater Community
Products: demand driven on-line and on-site people network, technological and content services
Contributions of the target group crucial for success
Main activities:
A. Establishing a web-based Global Groundwater Information System (GGIS)
B. Producing and promoting guidelines and protocols (G&P) for adequate
groundwater data acquisition and groundwater monitoring
C. Co-operating in global/regional projects or programmes with a significant
groundwater component
“Groundwater information and knowledge:
bringing together, using and sharing”
Share Use
Bringing together
Knowledge Information
Highlights of IGRAC’s activities and products
Online Global Overview (GGIS)
Country based information on 70 groundwater related attributes divided into 10 categories:
− Physiography, Demography
− Agriculture and economics
− Aquifer characteristics
− Groundwater quantity, quality, use, problems and management
Excel based tool to provide or update actual information
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Global overview
Maps can be viewed and saved with user-definable
window and features
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Example of Groundwater Indicators:
“Groundwater abstraction as percentage of average annual recharge”
Use of Information &
Knowledge on Fluoride
Information (Country cases: few or many)
Spatial distribution
Preventive measures &
Network optimization
Reaction Time Climate
Monitoring networks
Guidelines and Protocols
Inventory of existing guidelines and protocols
Questionnaire on groundwater monitoring
− Objective:
• to reveal the state of groundwater monitoring world-wide;
• to identify the needs of the international community for support with information and guidelines;
• The inventory serves as a basis for ideas on promotion of groundwater monitoring world-wide
− 50 organisations/individuals responded
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Guidelines and Protocols
Identification of gaps in existing guidelines and protocols
Report with overview and analyses of worldwide groundwater monitoring practice
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Examples of information sharing
Promoting an interactive comparison on country scales:
Update of groundwater statistics; groundwater indicators maps (GGIS;
WWAP/WWDR II)
Looking for similarities on a global scale:
Update of Groundwater Resources Map and Global Groundwater Regions Map (WHYMAP, GGIS)
Preserving and updating institutional memory:
Meta database on groundwater information focusing on “grey literature”
(Burdon Commison, DGIS)
Improving access to information on transboundary aquifers:
Storage facilities for aquifer geometries, groundwater characteristics and information on groundwater management (ISARM, SADC)
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Development of new guidelines
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
The proposed themes for new guides by IGRAC are:
1. Baseline groundwater monitoring;
2. Evaluating groundwater-monitoring programmes;
3. Assessing the exploitable groundwater resources of an aquifer or area;
4. Quality-assurance in groundwater data collection.
Digital Collaborative Environment …
…is set up in order to alleviate and strengthen
international collaboration in the field of groundwater resource assessment and management.
Share Use
Br. together
Knowledge Information
Facilities:
Digital Project Workspace
Audio-Video Conferencing
Discussion Forum
