Water data are collected by a variety of public agencies, each with its own data standards, formats, and sharing protocols. This fragmentation makes it difficult for data users to access the data they need. In 2021, The Nicholas Institute Water Policy Program completed a Technology Adoption Research Project to learn more about data management at public agencies.
Through our start-up period, we learned that the strength of the IoW is its capacity to unite independent organizations around the common goal of modernizing water data infrastructure. Now, as we enter our growth phase, we are scaling up from a project of the Nicholas Institute to a coalition of organizations working with government partners to enact the IoW vision.
The work to modernize water data infrastructure often goes on under the radar as part of the tireless regular operations of public agencies. But over the past few years, often in response to drought, several western state legislatures have devoted attention and funding to the issue. Recently, Oregon became the latest state to write new policy around water data.
The Western US is experiencing unprecedented droughts while its population continues to grow. This puts pressure on water management systems and increases the need for regional data analyses. In 2011, the Western States Water Council launched the Water Data Exchange (WaDE) to help member states share data to enable multi-state analyses and inform regional planning.
Early December 2021 was the first time in 13 years that at least half of the state of North Carolina was in Severe Drought or worse. A lot has changed in the world of drought monitoring since our last widespread severe drought, especially the data we use and how we visualize and share it. This current drought has made the power of those advancements clear.
PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemical compounds and emerging contaminants that have been found in water all over the country. North Carolina has had well-publicized concerns with PFAS contamination, which have led to various data collection efforts across multiple organizations. These disparate datasets will be used to guide future regulation and enforcement across the state. But, without greater coordination between the academic and policy communities in North Carolina, these data will remain fragmented, limiting their ability to provide timely and accurate insights about PFAS contamination.