Data Management Best Practices, Requirements, and Recommendations

In 2018, water experts and stakeholders in Texas came together to take the first steps toward water data modernization at a workshop at the University of Texas in Austin. The goal of the workshop was to develop a vision for “an ideal water data system for Texas.” The system envisioned in that workshop was the jumping-off point for a collaborative project between the Internet of Water (IoW) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to develop the Texas Water Data Hub. This data hub will give data users easy access to many different types of standardized water data in one place. The hub will support real-time decision-making, enable the identification of opportunities to improve water security and provide decision-makers with a more complete picture of the water cycle in Texas. As part of this project, the IoW has developed the following best practices and recommendations to support the development of the Texas Water Data Hub. While this document was developed for the Texas Water Data Hub it is broadly applicable and can be used to support the development of other hubs in the future.