An internet for water: connecting Texas water data

Abstract

The Connecting Texas Water Data Workshop brought together experts representative of Texas’ water sectors to engage in the identification of critical water data needs and discuss the design of a data system that facilitates access to and use of public water data in Texas. Workshop participants identified “use cases” that list data gaps, needs, and uses for water data and answered questions on who needs data, what data do they need, in what form do they need the data, and what decisions need to be made about water in Texas. They described desires for future water data management and access practices, and articulated key attributes of a comprehensive, open access, public water data information system. Next steps were described to include a subset of workshop participants meeting regularly to further define the goals of a Texas public water data hub, develop a strawman of the hub’s structure, characterize several use cases, and facilitate development of pilot projects that demonstrate the value of connected public water data for improved decision making. Citation: Rosen RA, Hermitte SM, Pierce S, Richards S, Roberts SV. 2019. An Internet for Water: Connecting Texas Water Data. Texas Water Journal. 10(1):24-31. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v10i1.7086.