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7.2.2        Development of water information systems

In addition to the technical capacities that have been developed by the national institutions with support by ENI SEIS II East project, further growth of infrastructure such as information system software according to the best-available standards is advised.

Water information systems deployed in 2020 in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are offering the cooperating institutions the following functionality:

• Data dictionary and harmonised water quality dataset, which enables dataset comparability between different institutions;
• SQL database, data processing protocols and procedures for water quality indicator production;
• Web portal, which enables data and information presentation through text blocks, dynamic and interactive charts, and GIS visualisations.

Effective use of the established information systems depends on two key processes. These should be followed and reviewed after the systems have been in place for some time, with all involved stakeholders able to use them.

The first process is to enhance staff expertise in using the information systems. It is an ultimate goal of capacity building to establish a functioning team of both water content and IT experts working in synergy, and who are able to successfully communicate regarding issues and requests. The institutional working processes that use the information system should be well-established, documented on a centralised platform, and repeatable.

The second process is that technical features of the portal should be reviewed for their efficiency and upgraded where needed. While the information systems were built in a way to be easily upgraded, the focus of further technical development should be on the following:

• Deployment of different databases containing water data, thus centralising national datasets and facilitating their sharing; this would also decrease the need for many data managers in individual institutions, which are largely not present now.
• Establishment of data management procedures; this includes repeatable processes of data collection, QA/QC, storage, dataset assessment, and production of dissemination products (charts, maps, etc.); currently, only the basic data management procedures are in place, but serve as a starting point to develop further processes.
• Development of further environmental indicators, potentially expanding beyond the topic of water; these environmental indicators should be based on clearly defined data analysis processes;
• Collecting and managing spatial datasets, enabling spatial analysis and presentation of data on interactive maps; currently, only basic spatial presentation is available on the existing information systems.