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Position Paper on Water Resources Data Collection

Please note that this paper is held here for archival purposes, the most up to date papers are currently held on the Engineers Australia website.

Objective

The objective of this position paper is to highlight the growing concern with the extent and quality of current data collection activities, as well as with the access to the data. The paper is aimed at policy makers and those who fund and undertake data collection, so that, in the current trend to commercialise Government enterprises which have traditionally collected the data, the collection of data is done effectively and efficiently, and continues to maximise the benefits to the community.

This paper is not about spending more of the limited available funds on data collection and management. Rather, it is about ensuring that the data collected is the most useful and the best value for the money spent, for the ultimate benefit of the community.

Introduction

Appropriate and accurate data is a fundamental requirement for effective management of resources and assets. Data, and the information it provides, is becoming increasingly critical for corporations and Governments to continue operating viably and in an ecologically sustainable manner. For example, through determining and complying with licenses, to increase production and minimise waste and pollution, to reduce uncertainty and manage assets and risk, to communicate with stakeholders, or for the closure of a business if the data shows it to be unviable or a potential liability. It requires considerable effort and resources to collect, store, manage and distribute data. To this end, the relevance, reliability, quality, timeliness, accuracy, and accessibility of the data is crucial.

This paper is particularly focussed on water resources data, including: rainfall; surface water; groundwater; water quality; climatic parameters such as temperature, wind, solar radiation, humidity, and evaporation; and related data such as topographical, land use and other spatial data. However, the paper is also applicable to other forms of data collected.

Data can be collected in a variety of forms. Some of the relevant characteristics to consider are:

The Problem

Historically, water resources data in Australia was mostly collected and processed by Government organisations. Hydrological groups within these organisations were qualified, experienced, and while they may not have been considered the most cost effective, they generally had a passion and dedication for this type of work. In recent years we have seen many of these organisations corporatised, privatised, the functions outsourced, self regulation introduced, and so on. While these changes are NOT in themselves the problem, as evidenced by recent experience, they can be the vehicles for deterioration of the quality and accessibility of the data. The new businesses collecting and/or managing the data, are now more likely to be from a disparate number of groups from unrelated industries or from overseas based companies; have little training and experience; work to the letter of the contract and to different standards; as well as having to do the work with significantly less resources. Some of the consequences have been: less monitoring; poorer quality of data; having to repeat the monitoring; loss of skills and experience; reduced access to data; and increased costs and risks to the community and less service.

The Risks

Australia is the driest inhabited continent and has a more variable climate than many other continents in the world. This means water resources in Australia are often scarce and are therefore critical to the nation’s prosperity. While we are currently benefiting from the data collection activities of our predecessors, it is our responsibility to ensure that future generations are not disadvantaged by the changes we are implementing now. Data collection is about reducing the risks and increasing the benefits we and future generations receive from the expenditure of the limited funds available.

Water resources data is used for a variety of purposes, including:

Some of the examples given above are where a lack of data and knowledge can and have lead to life threatening situations, mostly infrequently, but potentially daily.

The value of this data has been shown in a multitude of studies to have benefit cost ratios around 8 or more, for most well designed systems. Our lives and our standard of living will be threatened if the water resources data collected is not appropriate or is not effectively used.

Actions

Agencies and decision makers who are responsible for specifying what businesses or organisations are to collect data, and the data collectors themselves, need to ensure that:

The objectives of the data collection program are clarified, by identifying the costs and benefits. Stakeholders can then determine the importance and value of data to the business or community and its relevance to their needs. In addition, they need to ensure that the data collected is of the appropriate accuracy for its intended use and the best return on the investment.

The data is collected by suitably qualified and experienced personnel/organisations, to appropriate standards and quality assured systems. In the case of new data collectors especially, a comprehensive system needs to be implemented and maintained, to ensure that the methods used and the data collected, are of the appropriate quality. Regular audits are required which should include performance measures against the objectives of the data collection program; data validation system results; accuracy of the analysis; and appropriateness of the data used. Academic, consultant and (ex)Government data collectors and users can assist.

The data collected is safely stored, effectively managed and readily accessible to the wider community (except for the data which may be commercially sensitive or when it is to be used for profit without involving the data collection funding agency). The value of data and its value to the community, can be increased many fold, if it is used for modelling historical performance, trends, future directions.

The data collected is checked against its objective for collection, in a timely and effective manner. In many cases, data is collected for long periods without being used. Its accuracy, applicability and usefulness can then be severely compromised. Agencies need to ensure that necessary resources are provided to review and utilise the data collected. This often results in reduced monitoring needs and cost savings.

Data collectors coordinate their efforts, to maximise the benefit for the minimum cost. Too often, there are several organisations collecting data in similar locations.

Regulators do not impose unrealistic data collection burdens on businesses. If scarce finances are being spent on inappropriate accuracy of measurement (eg on heavy metals to parts per billion); or frequencies of measurement (eg continuous monitoring); or concentrations rather than loads, where applicable; then more critical and useful data will not be collected.

Government and industry continue to support research and development into new and improved data collection instrumentation and techniques, and in the use of data.

The Institution of Engineers, Australia

The Institution of Engineers has played a long and important role in the management of Australia’s water resources. Through its National Committee on Water Engineering, The Institution of Engineers has organised numerous conferences and symposia to further the sharing and transfer of knowledge in water resources, and has published ‘Australian Rainfall and Runoff - A Guide to Flood Estimation’ as well as numerous other relevant water resources documents.

The Institution of Engineers position on water resources data collection is that:

  1. An ongoing, comprehensive and effective data collection program is essential to the future prosperity of Australian businesses and the community.
  2. The actions described above need to be implemented and followed, to most effectively manage the risk and maximise the value of our limited resources.

To this end, The Institution of Engineers will:

  1. Express its views publicly on water resources matters of national, regional and local concern;
  2. Provide factual and objective technical information and encourage public debate on these issues to ensure decisions are made with the best available information (eg to maximise the benefit from the National Land and Water Resources Audit);
  3. Support initiatives to publicise and address the concerns expressed in this paper and promote community education programs on the value of data collection;
  4. Support the development of nationally coordinated data collection programs and national standards for collection, storage and accessibility; for both water quantity and quality in support of environmentally sustainable development objectives;
  5. Encourage the use of the most appropriate technology and the research into, and development of, new technologies and methodologies;
  6. Continue to run water resources conferences and symposia to facilitate the transfer of knowledge in water resources data collection; and
  7. . Continue to publish and support the use of ‘Australian Rainfall and Runoff - A Guide to Flood Estimation’ and other appropriate and relevant publications.

Further Information or Comment

Comments on this position paper are invited.

Further information can be found in the following references:

Cordery, I. and Cloke, P. S. (1992) ‘An overview of the value of collecting streamflow data’, Aust. Civ. Eng. Trans. Vol. CE 34, No.3, pp271-276.

The Institution of Engineers, Australia (1993) ‘At What Price Data?’ ISBN 85825 596 0.

or by contacting:

National Committee on Water Engineering,
The Institution of Engineers, Australia,
11 National Circuit,
BARTON, ACT 2600

Prepared on behalf of the National Committee on Water Engineering

by Ross Knee Nov 1999