315 datasets found

Applications of AI for Water Management

Since the impacts of climate change will be felt most directly through changes in water availability and water security, adequate tools are required to support water resources management decisions for the medium and long term. The Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) provides a pathway for more localized vulnerability assessments of water resources under climate change, while encompassing the uncertainty of current global climate projections. Within this framework, this paper demonstrates a climate stress test to identify changes in key performance indicators defined through local stakeholder consultations using a bottom-up approach. When applied to a case study in the Limari River basin in Chile, the stress test highlights the vulnerability of the reservoir system to climate variability and change, through a comprehensive analysis of 43 Global Circulation Models, of which 34 were retained. The Level of Concern (LoC) was defined as high, due to a high plausibility for entering into adverse water security conditions, that are expected to provoke a significant impact in the highly productive areas of the watershed. As demonstrated by the case study, the climate stress test provides a relevant assessment tool for potential climate change impacts on critical components of the water system in vulnerable catchments.

This dataset contains citizen science water quality measurements collected under the Be-Resilient initiative of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP). Data were gathered across multiple Biosphere Reserves in South Africa as part of ongoing efforts to enhance community-based monitoring and local resilience to hydroclimatic risks.

The dataset includes in-situ observations of key water quality parameters, such as pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, each accompanied by localized timestamps and contextual metadata. Measurements were obtained by trained citizen scientists and local volunteers, following standardized protocols designed to ensure comparability across sites and over time.

Individual identifiers have been removed to protect the privacy of participants. The dataset serves as an open, quality-controlled source for hydrological and environmental analyses, education, and early-warning applications. It contributes to the broader Be-Resilient programme objective of promoting citizen and open science approaches for climate adaptation, data democratization, and the co-production of water knowledge in vulnerable and data-scarce regions.

The Global Sandwatch Dataset consolidates participatory observations collected through UNESCO’s Sandwatch Programme, a global citizen science and education initiative promoting climate change adaptation and sustainable coastal management. The dataset contains standardized monitoring data from 145 beaches in more than 50 countries, contributed by over 300 community observers, schools, and environmental groups.

Covering over a decade of observations, the dataset documents beach morphology, erosion and accretion patterns, composition, debris, human activities, water quality, wave and current dynamics, vegetation, and fauna. Each record reflects local community engagement in data collection and environmental stewardship, fostering awareness and resilience within coastal ecosystems-especially in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal regions.

The data structure follows the Sandwatch methodology of Monitoring, Analysing, Sharing, and Taking Action (MAST) and aligns with UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and climate adaptation frameworks. It provides a unique interdisciplinary resource integrating environmental, social, and educational dimensions of coastal change, valuable for research, education, and policy design in coastal resilience and participatory monitoring.

This dataset contains a collection of presentations delivered by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) to a variety of audiences—including IHP National Committees, project teams, Member States, and regional stakeholders—on the IHP-WINS (Water Information Network System) platform. The presentations aim to raise awareness of IHP-WINS as a central hub for hydrological, climatic, and contextual data, supporting evidence-based decision-making, digital transformation, and open science. Each presentation is tailored to the specific audience, highlighting relevant use cases, data management workflows, visualization tools, governance structures, and opportunities for collaboration. The dataset provides an overview of how IHP-WINS is positioned within UNESCO’s water programmes to enhance interoperability, promote data sharing, and support the implementation of IHP-IX priorities at national, regional, and project levels.

OpenLISEM is an open-source hydrological model suited for the simulation of floods, flash floods and erosion events. The following sections provide an overview of the results from the OpenLISEM model used in the exposure mapping A 30x30m flood map (maximum flood height) for the BuPuSa region was developed for several points on the intensity-frequency-duration curve. This curve represents the extreme value analysis (EVA) for the rainfall across the BuPuSa area. Based on 50 years of historic rainfall data from TAMSAT the EVA is developed for a 1000 year period. From this different rainfall intensities area taken which are referred to at the return period. The statistical possibility of a certain rainfall intensity to happen once in X many years. Flood maps were developed for the following return periods: 1/2, 1/10, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/1000. In addition to 5 different return periods, two different scenarios were modeled. A short high intensity rainfall event that typically causes flash floods, and a longer term lower intensity rainfall event that typically causes fluvial (river) floods. These events were represented by respectively a 6h rainfall event and a 14 day rainfall event. As a result 10 different flood maps were developed.

The Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI) is a global set of glacier outlines intended as a snapshot of the world’s glaciers outside of ice sheets. It provides a single outline for each glacier from approximately the year 2000, as well as a set of attributes and other relevant auxiliary information. Glacier outlines are distributed as Shapefiles. Hypsometric data and attributes (CSV files) and metadata (json) are also available. All RGI data are packaged both globally and by region (as defined by the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G) Glacier Regions). The RGI is not suitable for measuring glacier-by-glacier rates of area change. However, it can be used to estimate glacier volumes; rates of elevation change at regional and global scales; and glacier responses to climatic forcing. RGI version 7.0 was developed by the “Working Group on the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI) and its role in future glacier monitoring” of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS). The glaciological community contributes glacier mapping data to the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) database. A subset of the glacier outlines in GLIMS are then extracted and reprocessed to produce the RGI. See the RGI documentation under "User Guide" (below) for more information.

The SIDS viewer provides groundwater related information on Small Island Developing States. At present the system contains mainly information derived from the Transboundary Waters Assessment Program (TWAP) on 43 SIDS. The data include indicators describing the hydrogeological, environmental, socio-economic and governance dimensions of the SIDS groundwater systems.

The data have been derived from questionnaire surveys and an extensive desk-top study executed by the Simon Frasier University (Canada) and coordinated by UNESCO-IHP. Data in the system can be explored and analysed using a map based viewer, which is particularly useful to make comparative analyses of multiple SIDS. Additionally SIDS information sheets are also available providing clear overviews per SIDS. Further data on SIDS will be collected and uploaded into the SIDS viewer as they become available.

For any queries or comments on the SIDS data and information, please visit our SIDS Focal Area page. (https://www.un-igrac.org/areas-expertise/small-island-developing-states-sids)

Composed of 669 biosphere reserves in 120 countries, including 16 transboundary sites, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) of the UNESCO Man And Biosphere (MAB) Programme consists of a dynamic and interactive network of sites of excellence. It works to foster the harmonious integration of people and nature for sustainable development through participatory dialogue, knowledge sharing, poverty reduction, human well-being improvements, respect for cultural values and by improving society’s ability to cope with climate change.For more information, visit: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/man-and-biosphere-programme/

The Reference Observatory of Basins for INternational hydrological climate change detection (ROBIN) project established a new long-term collaboration of international experts to establish and sustain a global reference hydrological network (RHN), through common standards, protocols, indicators, and data infrastructure. ‘Reference Hydrometric Networks’ (RHNs), consist of gauging stations whose catchments are relatively undisturbed and record high quality data and little missing data. The concept of RHNs, their history and evolution are described in (Whitfield et al., 2012) previously and many countries have already established RHNs, however this is the first initiative to bring them together at a global level. The ROBIN Full Dataset consists of 3,060 stations in 30 countries, however the dataset described here is the ROBIN Public Dataset which contains metadata records for all 3,060 stations and daily streamflow data for a total of 2,386 stations. This tiered approached was due to data sharing restrictions in some countries. More information about the ROBIN Network and dataset can be found on the project website: https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/robin

These maps, developed by Deltares, creat the flood impact of flood hazards expected in the Chimanimani and Chipinge Districts, Zimbabwe and are evaluated at 30m resolution.

Outcome of the 'Visual Inspection for Defining the Safety Upgrading Strategies’ (VISUS) approach to assess the school safety in the Chimanimani District after the Cyclone Idai. A VISUS survey across 15 schools in the Chimanimani district was conducted to gauge rehabilitation needs and identify key areas to build resilience.

Natural disasters frequently damage or destroy school infrastructure, jeopardizing educational opportunities and putting school children's lives in danger. This was experienced by children and staff members in Zimbabwe, Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in particular during cyclone Idai which hit eastern Zimbabwe in 2019 and the cyclones that followed. More than 140 schools were affected by the floods and the land slides. The situation at St. Charles Lwanga High School, where 200 children, teachers and support staff were stranded for two days and had to face the cyclone, shows the importance of safe school infrastructure. To better prepare for such eventualities, UNESCO through the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project funded by World Bank and managed by UNOPS collaborated with the University of Udine and the University of Zimbabwe to implement the VISUS (Visual Inspection for Defining the Safety Upgrading Strategies), a multi-hazard school safety assessment methodology that help policymakers decide where to focus risk reduction efforts based on available resources and scientific evidence. The VISUS methodology helps assess schools using a holistic, multi-hazard approach that considers five aspects: site conditions, structural performance, local structural criticalities, non-structural components, and functional aspects. The methodology has also been improved to consider outbreak of disease such as COVID-19. The VISUS methodology was conceived as an effective decision making tool for planning risk mitigation actions. The project helped mainstream school safety components into the UNOPS’ School Rehabilitation Program and could contribute to the Civil Protection Unit’s School Disaster Education Programme. The team’s efforts also assisted in making investments decisions to strengthen the safety of schools efficiently and economically.

Reports and datasets generated as part of the Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) implemented in the Chimanimani Districts, in response to Cyclone Idai and to build resilience of local communities to climate change impacts.

Zimbabwe is exposed to multiple weather-related hazards, suffering from frequent periodic cyclones, droughts, floods, and related epidemics and landslides. On 15 March 2019, tropical Cyclone Idai hit eastern Zimbabwe, and at least 172 deaths were reported, more than 186 people were injured and 327 were missing, while over 270,000 people were affected across nine districts, particularly in Chimanimani and Chipinge. Of those affected, 20,002 households (61.5%) or 100,106 people (74.2% of the 2012 population) were in Chimanimani. Meanwhile, ecosystem damage also occurred where boulders and mud were dumped downhill, affecting wildlife habitats, water quality, tourism activities and usability of land resources. The cyclone’s aftermath has therefore increased environmental risks, which will in turn affect local adaptation. Loss of vegetation cover means the natural defense against future flood waters and landslides is no longer available. Similar events in future are therefore likely to cause even more destruction. The overall objective of the initiative is therefore to reduce the vulnerability of communities in the Chimanimani and Chipinge Districts to natural disasters, such as floods, droughts and landslides; and to enhance water resource management as well as ecosystem services in response to the uncertainty of future climate change. The project is designed to approach the water-related risk and vulnerability through an integrated strategy that targets several aspects of disaster risk reduction, and provides scalable implementation of the project through a modular pathway and the development of case studies in target flood and landslide prone areas.

This dataset contains the official materials from the launch event of the IHP-WINS (International Hydrological Programme – Water Information Network System) platform, held on 28 April 2023. It includes the launch brochure, the presentation delivered during the event, and the full recording of the webinar. These resources provide an overview of the platform’s objectives, functionalities, and relevance in supporting data sharing, open science, and collaborative water resources management. The dataset serves as a reference for stakeholders, partners, and contributors interested in learning about the vision and practical applications of IHP-WINS.

Overview of the IHP Phase VIII Achievements

The CRIDA approach provides a crucial framework to enable water managers and policy makers to assess the impact of climate uncertainty and change on their water resources and work towards effective adaptation strategies. This multi-step process embraces a participatory, bottom-up approach to identify water security hazards, and is sensitive to indigenous and gender-related water vulnerabilities. By engaging local communities in the design of the analysis, the information provided by scientific modeling and climate analysis can be tailored and thus provide more useful answers to the challenges they are facing. They are also providing a more informed starting point to assess the different options for adaptation, and design robust adaptation pathways, in line with the local needs.

This publication aims to bridge the gap between climate and disasters, in the face of the uncertainties that climate change poses to water managers and policymakers. Composed of a compilation of worldwide case studies, it provides examples of innovative water management and climate risk assessment approaches. The publication also highlights the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) with the aim of identifying links between these high-level frameworks, DRR and water issues, and describing how the policy-practice linkages can be turned into action.

This publication has laid out a strategic framework to integrate Open Science into hydrology, illustrating its true potential to enhance research transparency, collaboration, and accessibility within water management practices. The six pillars — open data, open source, open publishing, open infrastructure, open education, and open participation — constitute the structure of the Open Hydrology framework designed to promote transparency and reproducibility.