Your search found 10 records
1 Stewart, S.; Taylor, J.. 1995. Women organizing women - "Doing it backwards and in high heels" IDS Bulletin, 26(3):79-85.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: PER Record No: H017018)
2 Steenhuis, T. S.; Taylor, J.; Easton, Z.; Collick, A.; van de Giesen, N.; Liebe, J.; Ahmed, A. A.; Andreini, Marc. 2009. Rainfall-discharge relationships for monsoonal climates. In Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Erkossa, Teklu; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Fernando, Ashra (Comps.). Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian highlands: its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile. Intermediate Results Dissemination Workshop held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-6 February 2009. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.141-151.
Runoff ; Water balance ; Models ; River basins / Africa / Ethiopia / Blue Nile River Basin / Abay Blue Nile basin / Volta Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 333.9162 G100 AWU Record No: H042514)
(0.60 MB)
Methods for estimating runoff that have been developed for temperate climates may not be suitable for use in the monsoonal climates of Africa, where there is a distinct dry season during which soils dry out to a considerable depth. This has a distinct effect on runoff generation that is not captured by “the temperate climate” models. The scope of this tool is to develop a simple water balance method for predicting river discharge. Water balance models have been shown to better predict river discharge in regions with monsoonal climates than alternative methods based on the United States Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service (USDA-SCS) curve number. The latter is an empirical-based model developed in the USA that does not apply to monsoonal climates with distinct dry and wet periods.
3 Steenhuis, T.; Taylor, J.; Collick, A.; van de Giesen, N.; Liebe, J.; Andreini, Marc; Easton, Z. 2009. Rainfall-discharge relationships for monsoonal climates. In Andreini, Marc; Schuetz, Tonya; Harrington, Larry (Eds.). Small reservoirs toolkit, theme 2 b: hydrology and physical measures of performance. Colombo, Sri Lanka: CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF); Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Brasilia, DF, Brasil: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Cerrados Center); Harare, Zimbabwe: University of Zimbabwe (UZ); Accra, Ghana: Ghana Water Research Institution (WRI); Delft, The Netherlands: Delft University of Technology (TUD); Stockholm, Sweden: Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI); Marseille, France: Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Bonn, Germany: Center for Development Research, University of Bonn; Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University. 10p.
Rivers ; Discharges ; Water balance ; Simulation models ; Watersheds ; Climate ; Rain ; Evapotranspiration / Africa / Abay Blue Nile / Volta Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H042665)
Methods for estimating runoff that have been developed for temperate climates may not be suitable for use in the monsoonal climates of Africa, where there is a distinct dry season in which soils dry out to a considerable depth. Water balance models have been shown to better predict river discharge in regions with monsoonal climates than alternative methods based on rainfall intensity, or on the USDA-SCS curve number. This tool can be used to develop a simple water balance model for predicting river discharge.
4 Bracken, L. J.; Cockshut, L.; Taylor, J.; Cotterill, S. 2020. The role of innovation in advancing understanding of hydrological processes. Hydrological Processes, 34(23):4404-4416. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13890]
Sustainable Development Goals ; Hydrology ; Innovation ; Infrastructure ; Water resources ; Water security ; Rainwater ; Models ; Case studies / England / NE Water Hub Project
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050032)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hyp.13890
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050032.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050032.pdf
(1.85 MB) (1.85 MB)
Innovation and understanding hydrological processes are intimately linked. Existing research has demonstrated the role of technological, societal, and political drivers in shaping and delivering new understandings in hydrological processes. In this paper we pose three research questions to explore how innovation can further our understanding of hydrological processes, if working towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) provides a helpful focus, and whether specific mechanisms can be used to facilitate innovation and research into hydrological processes. First, we examine key aspects of innovation and explore innovation in the context of water security. We then present a series of innovation projects to determine their effectiveness in delivering innovation in managing hydrological processes, but also their contribution to scientific understanding. Our research suggests that product and process innovation were more closely related to increasing scientific understanding of hydrological processes than other forms of innovation. The NE Water Hub demonstrated that the design of the innovation ecosystem was crucial to its success and provides a model to integrate innovation and research more widely to further scientific understanding and deliver behaviour change to address the SDGs.
5 Taylor, J.; Graham, M.; Louw, A.; Lepheana, A.; Madikizela, B.; Dickens, Chris; Chapman, D. V.; Warner, S. 2022. Social change innovations, citizen science, miniSASS and the SDGs. Water Policy, 24(5):708-717. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2021.264]
Social change ; Innovation ; Citizen science ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Stakeholders ; Water quality ; Monitoring / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050675)
https://iwaponline.com/wp/article-pdf/24/5/708/1050904/024050708.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050675.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050675.pdf
(0.46 MB) (475 KB)
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) describe a course of action to address poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). More specifically, SDG 6 clarifies how water quality, quantity and access are crucial to human well-being, and yet human activities are compromising water resources through over-exploitation, pollution, as well as contributing to the spread of disease. Globally aquatic ecosystems are highly threatened and concerted efforts by governments and civil society to ‘turn the situation around’ are simply not working. Human-created problems require human-centred solutions and these require different ways of thinking and acting to those behaviour patterns that are contributing to the challenges. In this paper, we first consider causal approaches to attitude change and behaviour modification that are simply not working as intended. We then explore enabling responses such as citizen science and co-engaged action learning as more tenable alternatives. SDG 6 has a focus on clean water and sanitation for all. The SDGs further clarify how the extent to which this goal can be realized depends, to a large extent, on stakeholder engagements and education. Through stakeholder engagements and educational processes, people can contribute towards SDG 6 and the specific indicator and target in SDG 6.b – Stakeholder participation. Following a three-year research process, that investigated a wide range of participatory tools, this paper explores how the Stream Assessment Scoring System (miniSASS; www.minisass.org) can enable members of the public to engage in water quality monitoring at a local level. The paper continues to demonstrate how miniSASS can contribute to the monitoring of progress towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.3, by providing a mechanism for data collection indicator 6.3.2. miniSASS is proving popular in southern Africa as a methodology for engaging stakeholder participation in water quality monitoring and management. The technique costs very little to implement and can be applied by children and scientists alike. As a biomonitoring approach, it is based on families of macroinvertebrates that are present in most perennial rivers of the world. The paper concludes by describing how useful the miniSASS technique can be for addressing data gaps for SDG 6.3.2 reporting, and that it can be applied in most regions of the world.
6 Pattinson, N. B.; Russell, C.; Taylor, J.; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Koen, R. C. J.; Koen, F. J.; Graham, P. M. 2023. Digital innovation with miniSASS, a citizen science biomonitoring tool. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation. 11p.
Digital technology ; Citizen science ; Biomonitoring ; Rivers ; Water quality ; Macroinvertebrates ; Mobile applications ; Machine learning ; Algorithms ; Databases ; Training ; Sustainable Development Goals / South Africa / Mooi River / uMgeni River / Karkloof River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052345)
(1.32 MB)
The mini stream assessment scoring system (miniSASS) was developed as a citizen science biomonitoring tool for assessing the water quality and health of stream and river systems. A miniSASS survey involves sampling the aquatic macroinvertebrate community in a stream or river reach and using the known sensitivities and tolerances of the taxa present to infer information about the water quality and health of the stream or river. The quality of the outcomes of a miniSASS survey is dependent on good sampling technique and accurate identification of aquatic macroinvertebrates by low-skilled citizen scientists. As such, there is potential for errors in sampling and identification which may impact the accuracy of results. In response, we aimed to 1) develop a smartphone application (miniSASS mobile app with built-in machine learning (ML) algorithm for the automatic, real-time identification of aquatic macroinvertebrates) to assist in miniSASS surveys, 2) modernise and upgrade the miniSASS website to handle new data submissions (including photographs) and improve the user interface (UI), and 3) develop an online miniSASS training course. This report presents the methodology and preliminary results pertaining to these objectives.
7 Pattinson, N. B.; Taylor, J.; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Graham, P. M. 2023. Digital innovation in citizen science to enhance water quality monitoring in developing countries. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 37p. (IWMI Working Paper 210) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2024.201]
Digital innovation ; Citizen science ; Water quality ; Monitoring ; Developing countries ; Freshwater ecosystems ; Water resources ; Water management ; Decision support ; Community involvement ; Data collection ; Digital technology ; Sensors ; Databases ; Smartphones ; Mobile applications ; Innovation adoption ; Big data ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Parameters ; Mitigation
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H052509)
(1.02 MB)
Freshwater systems are disproportionately adversely affected by the ongoing, global environmental crisis. The effective and efficient water resource conservation and management necessary to mitigate the crisis requires monitoring data, especially on water quality. This is recognized by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, particularly indicator 6.3.2., which requires all UN member states to measure and report the ‘proportion of water bodies with good ambient water quality’. However, gathering sufficient data on water quality is reliant on data collection at spatial and temporal scales that are generally outside the capacity of institutions using conventional methods. Digital technologies, such as wireless sensor networks and remote sensing, have come to the fore as promising avenues to increase the scope of data collection and reporting. Citizen science (which goes by many names, e.g., participatory science or community-based monitoring) has also been earmarked as a powerful mechanism to improve monitoring. However, both avenues have drawbacks and limitations. The synergy between the strengths of modern technologies and citizen science presents an opportunity to use the best features of each to mitigate the shortcomings of the other. This paper briefly synthesizes recent research illustrating how smartphones, sometimes in conjunction with other sensors, present a nexus point method for citizen scientists to engage with and use sophisticated modern technology for water quality monitoring. This paper also presents a brief, non-exhaustive research synthesis of some examples of current technological upgrades or innovations regarding smartphones in citizen science water quality monitoring in developing countries and how these can assist in objective, comprehensive, and improved data collection, management and reporting. While digital innovations are being rapidly developed worldwide, there remains a paucity of scientific and socioeconomic validation of their suitability and usefulness within citizen science. This perhaps contributes to the fact that the uptake and upscaling of smartphone-assisted citizen science continues to underperform compared to its potential within water resource management and SDG reporting. Ultimately, we recommend that more rigorous scientific research efforts be dedicated to exploring the suitability of digital innovations in citizen science in the context of developing countries and SDG reporting.
8 Pattinson, N. B.; Taylor, J.; Lepheana, A. T.; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Graham, P. M. 2023. The enviro-champs: establishing a framework for a technologically upgraded environmental monitoring network at community scale. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation. 19p.
Citizen science ; Data collection ; Community involvement ; Environmental monitoring ; Frameworks ; Digital innovation ; Mobile applications ; Sustainability / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052516)
(17.6 MB)
The Enviro-Champs initiative was developed as a community driven, citizen science initiative in Mpophomeni township in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), South Africa. Over time, the scope of work done and data collected by the Enviro-Champs has expanded. There is now recognition both locally and globally that the Enviro-Champs initiative shows great promise for national and global upscaling. However, several areas within the initiative remain where it could be improved, especially technologically. GroundTruth, in conjunction with technical and funding support from CGIAR Research Initiative on Digital Innovation and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), engaged in a project which aimed to i) establish recruitment, training, and education tools to support establishment of a technologically integrated and upgraded Enviro-Champs initiative, ii) develop an outline for a training and education workshop for Enviro-Champs once they are hired, iii) improve data collection and reporting capacity and efficiency with a sustainable system (in collaboration with CGIAR and FormShare), and iv) pilot test technological improvements to the Enviro-Champs initiative within the Mpophomeni Enviro-Champs in conjunction with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and Umgeni Water. The overarching aim was to develop a technologically innovative and upgraded best-practice framework for the Enviro-Champs, from recruitment, through training and data collection, to data management and reporting. The primary outcome was to have a fully functional, digitally improved Enviro-Champs system in Mpophomeni, that could serve as a working template for upscaling the Enviro-Champs initiative elsewhere in Southern Africa or the world. This report reflects the process and outcomes of this project to date.
9 Pattinson, N. B.; Maharaj, U.; Singh, K.; Taylor, J.; Lepheana, A. T.; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Graham, P. M. 2024. Digitally enhanced community-based environmental monitoring: technologically upgrading the Enviro-Champs initiative. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation. 16p.
Environmental monitoring ; Community involvement ; Digital innovation ; Decision-support systems ; Citizen science ; Water quality ; Environmental management ; Sustainable Development Goals ; River basins / Southern Africa / Limpopo River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H053059)
(1.93 MB)
Conventional water resource governance and monitoring systems, while essential, are falling short of requirements to address urgent challenges and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, the global north and wealthy regions are typically overrepresented in science, while marginalised, disaffected and indigenous regions in developing countries, especially in the global south, remain underrepresented. Addressing these challenges requires diversified involvement that includes local community members who are disproportionately impacted by environmental and social problems. In the late 2000s, the non-profit Duzi-uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) helped establish the Enviro-Champs, a community-based citizen science-driven monitoring initiative, in the Mpophomeni and Shiyabizali townships in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), South Africa. The initiative offers a range of impressive and important social contributions, such as communicating flood risks across the community and monitoring of wastewater effluents, but knowledge co-creation and data collection via citizen science has always been at its core. Despite gradual technological progress within the data capture and reporting framework of the initiative, there has been a need for a digitally integrated system to assist with data capture, submission, collation, visualization, reporting, and feedback. Collaborating within the CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation, we aimed to address these issues to increase the power, impact, and scalability of the Enviro-Champs initiative.
Initially, we consolidated the knowledge from the community of practice that had formed around the Enviro-Champs and similar initiatives to synthesise a recruitment and training framework for the Enviro-Champs initiative. We then customised a version of the Open Data Kit (ODK) mobile data collection app, called ODK Collect, which submits data to Formshare1 , a CGIAR-based cloud-hosting infrastructure.
Here, we report on piloting the use of this system of ODK Collect for citizen science data collection, with Formshare for cloud-based data collation and storage, within the Mpophomeni Enviro-Champs initiative. As part of this pilot, we aimed to use an Excel macro-coded data cleaning process coupled with Microsoft Power BI2 dashboard for real-time, semi-automated data handling and visualisation. The pilot was undertaken in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) who are the managing authorities of the Mpophomeni Enviro-Champs initiative. This pilot showcases the process of codeveloping a digitally integrated system of data collection, curation, and reporting for the Enviro-Champs initiative, as a model method to co-develop and establish a community-based, collaborative, coordinated, and technologically integrated citizen science driven monitoring program in a rural and previously disadvantaged area.
Initially, we consolidated the knowledge from the community of practice that had formed around the Enviro-Champs and similar initiatives to synthesise a recruitment and training framework for the Enviro-Champs initiative. We then customised a version of the Open Data Kit (ODK) mobile data collection app, called ODK Collect, which submits data to Formshare1 , a CGIAR-based cloud-hosting infrastructure.
Here, we report on piloting the use of this system of ODK Collect for citizen science data collection, with Formshare for cloud-based data collation and storage, within the Mpophomeni Enviro-Champs initiative. As part of this pilot, we aimed to use an Excel macro-coded data cleaning process coupled with Microsoft Power BI2 dashboard for real-time, semi-automated data handling and visualisation. The pilot was undertaken in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) who are the managing authorities of the Mpophomeni Enviro-Champs initiative. This pilot showcases the process of codeveloping a digitally integrated system of data collection, curation, and reporting for the Enviro-Champs initiative, as a model method to co-develop and establish a community-based, collaborative, coordinated, and technologically integrated citizen science driven monitoring program in a rural and previously disadvantaged area.
10 Pattinson, N. B.; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Taylor, J.; Graham, P. Mark. 2024. Smartphones for citizen science water quality monitoring in developing regions. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation. 22p.
Smartphones ; Citizen science ; Water quality ; Monitoring ; Data collection ; Freshwater ecosystems ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Digital innovation ; Rivers / Southern Africa / South Africa / Limpopo River Basin / KwaZulu-Natal / Pietermaritzburg / mSunduzi River Catchment / uMngeni River Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H053060)
Among many other efforts, high spatial and temporal resolution water quality monitoring data are required to help mitigating the ongoing global freshwater crisis. Citizen science is said to have a high potential to contribute valuable water quality monitoring data, while at the same time offering a range of qualitative benefits such as generation of a social fabric, environmental education, and improved relationships between citizenry and authorities. The potential of citizen science is elevated by integration with technology, especially smartphones, which allow for easy data capture and information sharing among a range of other powerful features.
As part of the CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation, we aimed to test some of the most prominent smartphone applications (apps) to investigate their scalability to developing regions for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.3.2 indicator water quality parameters or other key water quality metrics. We used southern Africa as a case study, since it characterises numerous key challenges to citizen science water quality monitoring using smartphones in developing regions. We evaluated five smartphone apps that are plug-and-play, assessing both their quantitative accuracy as well as their qualitative suitability to a southern African context. We found that the Hydrocolor and EyeOnWater apps showed theoretical promise but would not be useful for typical citizen science monitoring of streams, river, and dams from the banks of those water bodies given their requirement for deep water. The MQuant® StripScan App was not useful given that the reference cards required to use the app could not be sourced and that the app did not function to read the Mquant® nitrate test strips. The Nutrient App showed some promise but has ceased being supported, illustrating the critical importance of designing and developing tools with sustainable financing and maintenance in mind (as well as the need for funders to support key tools so they remain freely accessible) so that the great efforts that go into research and development are not ultimately wasted. The Aquality app was fairly user friendly, intuitive, and accessible for free via the Play Store and the Apple App Store. The development and support team were helpful and responsive, with ongoing research and development regarding the app showing good potential for upscaled functionality and implementation in the future. However, we found that there were significant qualitative and quantitative issues with the app that should be investigated further and addressed to ensure the app is suitable for global use, especially in the context of developing regions. These included that i) the material requirements for the app (i.e., a reference card mailed directly from Deltares in the Netherlands and Hach© nitrate test strips) were difficult to source in South Africa (which is likely to be the case in many other countries), ii) each test carried a significant financial cost (USD 2 - 5 per test), and iii) the guidelines of the app, especially concerning the appropriate lighting requirements, left considerable room for novice user error or lack of standardisation. Concerns over the standardisation and accuracy of the data were supported by the fact that we found little to no correlation between the estimated nitrate concentrations in surface water samples calculated by the app compared to accredited laboratory measurements of the same water samples.
Overall, we suggest that though our data were limited, they provide evidence that the data generated by real citizen scientists using such app around the world need to be carefully validated before they can be trusted. The reality is that doubt over standardisation and validity of results could prove a serious barrier to use of the data for management and policy interventions. More broadly, we identified a need for digital innovations within citizen science to remain human-centric and not become extractive, treating citizen scientists simply as data collection units. The massive potential for a nexus between digital innovation and citizen science will only be realised if we specifically cater towards the human part of the equation and if researchers and developers remain mindful of technicist assumptions about the utility, understandability, and validity of innovative technologies in different contexts.
As part of the CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation, we aimed to test some of the most prominent smartphone applications (apps) to investigate their scalability to developing regions for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.3.2 indicator water quality parameters or other key water quality metrics. We used southern Africa as a case study, since it characterises numerous key challenges to citizen science water quality monitoring using smartphones in developing regions. We evaluated five smartphone apps that are plug-and-play, assessing both their quantitative accuracy as well as their qualitative suitability to a southern African context. We found that the Hydrocolor and EyeOnWater apps showed theoretical promise but would not be useful for typical citizen science monitoring of streams, river, and dams from the banks of those water bodies given their requirement for deep water. The MQuant® StripScan App was not useful given that the reference cards required to use the app could not be sourced and that the app did not function to read the Mquant® nitrate test strips. The Nutrient App showed some promise but has ceased being supported, illustrating the critical importance of designing and developing tools with sustainable financing and maintenance in mind (as well as the need for funders to support key tools so they remain freely accessible) so that the great efforts that go into research and development are not ultimately wasted. The Aquality app was fairly user friendly, intuitive, and accessible for free via the Play Store and the Apple App Store. The development and support team were helpful and responsive, with ongoing research and development regarding the app showing good potential for upscaled functionality and implementation in the future. However, we found that there were significant qualitative and quantitative issues with the app that should be investigated further and addressed to ensure the app is suitable for global use, especially in the context of developing regions. These included that i) the material requirements for the app (i.e., a reference card mailed directly from Deltares in the Netherlands and Hach© nitrate test strips) were difficult to source in South Africa (which is likely to be the case in many other countries), ii) each test carried a significant financial cost (USD 2 - 5 per test), and iii) the guidelines of the app, especially concerning the appropriate lighting requirements, left considerable room for novice user error or lack of standardisation. Concerns over the standardisation and accuracy of the data were supported by the fact that we found little to no correlation between the estimated nitrate concentrations in surface water samples calculated by the app compared to accredited laboratory measurements of the same water samples.
Overall, we suggest that though our data were limited, they provide evidence that the data generated by real citizen scientists using such app around the world need to be carefully validated before they can be trusted. The reality is that doubt over standardisation and validity of results could prove a serious barrier to use of the data for management and policy interventions. More broadly, we identified a need for digital innovations within citizen science to remain human-centric and not become extractive, treating citizen scientists simply as data collection units. The massive potential for a nexus between digital innovation and citizen science will only be realised if we specifically cater towards the human part of the equation and if researchers and developers remain mindful of technicist assumptions about the utility, understandability, and validity of innovative technologies in different contexts.
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