Integrated Groundwater Data Management

Abstract

The goal of a data manager is to ensure that data is safely stored, adequately described, discoverable and easily accessible. However, to keep pace with the evolution of groundwater studies in the last decade, the associated data and data management requirements have changed significantly. In particular, there is a growing recognition that management questions cannot be adequately answered by single discipline studies. This has led a push towards the paradigm of integrated modeling, where diverse parts of the hydrological cycle and its human connections are included. This chapter describes groundwater data management practices, and reviews the current state of the art with enterprise groundwater database management systems. It also includes discussion on commonly used data management models, detailing typical data management lifecycles. We discuss the growing use of web services and open standards such as GWML and WaterML2.0 to exchange groundwater information and knowledge, and the need for national data networks. We also discuss crossjurisdictional interoperability issues, based on our experience sharing groundwater data across the US/Canadian border. Lastly, we present some future trends relating to groundwater data management.

Information Systems for Sustainable Management of Groundwater Extraction in France and Australia

“…There are many database options for storing groundwater data. These range from generic, open source database applications through to commercial applications specifically designed for hydrologic data (Fitch et al, 2016). Commercial groundwater databases are often packaged with tools specially designed to view, interrogate, and publish hydrologic data (Fitch et al, 2016;Jousma, 2008).…”

“…These range from generic, open source database applications through to commercial applications specifically designed for hydrologic data (Fitch et al, 2016). Commercial groundwater databases are often packaged with tools specially designed to view, interrogate, and publish hydrologic data (Fitch et al, 2016;Jousma, 2008). The choice of database application should be considered in the context of the data custodian's ability to use the application, its suitability to the data being collected, and the costs involved in initialising and maintain the application.…”

“…A significant amount of literature exists to guide the creation and review of information systems (e.g. WMO, 2008;Fitch et al, 2016;Jousma, 2008).…”

“…Major efforts have also been invested in creating international groundwater data sharing standards, such as the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard GroundWater Markup Language 2 (GWML2). Such efforts are invaluable in facilitating more complex, integrated studies in environmental and hydrological management (Alley et al, 2013;Fitch et al, 2016).…”

“…For example, one agency might monitor groundwater for resource extraction and supply, another for pollution monitoring and remediation. As these activities are typically legislative, the resulting data is often in inconsistent formats and held is separate databases (Fitch et al, 2016;Horsburgh et al, 2009;Dahlhaus et al, 2016). Similarly, where aquifers extend across administrative boundaries, data from a single resource might be collected and held by multiple agencies.…”