Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STARS4Water (Supporting STakeholders for Adaptive, Resilient and Sustainable Water Management)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-03-31
Worldwide freshwater resources are under increasing pressures of rapidly intensifying climate change effects, putting the availability and quality of water resources and socio‐economic developments at risk. Better quantitative assessments and projections of the impacts and water‐related risks for society, ecology and economic sectors are needed. River basin organisations (RBOs) need to be prepared!
New datasets and models offer possibilities for improved understanding and projections on water resources availability and vulnerabilities, while the new insights on the links between water, nature, and society call for a broader set of tools for water management. Recent advances have opened new approaches in modelling, combining process‐based or empirical modelling with new data techniques. Recent global observation studies and data collections, in cooperation with relevant EU earth observation initiatives, have created new climate data services with potential for improved accuracy and spatial resolution of models. These tools are not yet fully matured and integrated in river basin management.
THE STARS4WATER CONTRIBUTION
STARS4Water aims to improve the understanding of climate change impacts on water resources availability and the vulnerabilities for ecosystems, society and the economy. To achieve this, STARS4Water delivers new data services and data driven models, which are co‐designed with stakeholders based on their needs, ensuring their relevance and uptake.
STARS4WATER OVERALL OBJECTIVE
STARS4Water builds the next generation river basin tools and services in cooperation with stakeholder communities in seven River Basin Hubs (living labs). The hubs represent a regionally diverse portfolio of climate vulnerabilities and adaptation needs across sectors.
Specific objectives:
1. Provide stakeholders with new generation data services and data‐driven models tailored to their needs.
2. Improve accuracy and resolution of regional‐scale projections of water resources availability.
3. Enhance the knowledge base and the scientific underpinning of climate risks and impacts.
4. Improve stakeholders’ decision‐making through the development of dashboards.
5. Promote uptake and transferability of the data services & tools.
New datasets and models offer possibilities for improved understanding and projections on water resources availability and vulnerabilities, while the new insights on the links between water, nature, and society call for a broader set of tools for water management. Recent advances have opened new approaches in modelling, combining process‐based or empirical modelling with new data techniques. Recent global observation studies and data collections, in cooperation with relevant EU earth observation initiatives, have created new climate data services with potential for improved accuracy and spatial resolution of models. These tools are not yet fully matured and integrated in river basin management.
THE STARS4WATER CONTRIBUTION
STARS4Water aims to improve the understanding of climate change impacts on water resources availability and the vulnerabilities for ecosystems, society and the economy. To achieve this, STARS4Water delivers new data services and data driven models, which are co‐designed with stakeholders based on their needs, ensuring their relevance and uptake.
STARS4WATER OVERALL OBJECTIVE
STARS4Water builds the next generation river basin tools and services in cooperation with stakeholder communities in seven River Basin Hubs (living labs). The hubs represent a regionally diverse portfolio of climate vulnerabilities and adaptation needs across sectors.
Specific objectives:
1. Provide stakeholders with new generation data services and data‐driven models tailored to their needs.
2. Improve accuracy and resolution of regional‐scale projections of water resources availability.
3. Enhance the knowledge base and the scientific underpinning of climate risks and impacts.
4. Improve stakeholders’ decision‐making through the development of dashboards.
5. Promote uptake and transferability of the data services & tools.
We distinguish 4 phases: 1. Inception: engaging stakeholders (year 1), 2. Co-design and development (year 2), 3. Risk analyses and assessment (year 3), and 4. Upscale and uptake (year 4).
In the first year we set up the stakeholder communities in the hubs. To successfully implement the co-creation processes in each of the river basin hubs, a research partner and a key stakeholder were identified and made responsible for the co-creation process. They mobilized other relevant stakeholders and set-up a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process fitting both the project’s and the local RBO’s planning. This careful set-up ensures engagement and relevance of innovations, enhancing uptake.
Commonly used datasets and models were benchmarked against the needs of the stakeholder community. Jointly the stakeholders and project team set priorities in developments of next generation tools and data services which are developed in year 2 of the project.
In the first year the project has launched the Metadata Portal, an open, flexible, modular, and integrated portal providing access to existing data relevant for water resources management under climate change. It has already proven to be a valuable information portal containing almost 400 datasets and is based on FAIR principles.
We designed a mock-up of the STARS4Water dashboard, an interactive tool that helps to visualize and communicate data and indicators about the status of water resources availability in a river basin.
The project is currently in its second year, the development phase. Following co-design, we co-create new tools and data services. Next generation, data driven modelling tools are under development, for example for groundwater, reservoirs, and environmental flows. Multi-resolution models and integrated river basin management models are developed as well. The first models were discussed in a workshop with data-scientists and external experts.
We have defined river basin specific narratives for regional‐scale projections on future use of water resources and articulated “what if … “ questions as a variation to the business-as-usual scenario. Data collection and generation for translating the narratives to quantitative information and data modelling input is ongoing. The mock-up dashboard has matured to a prototype, serving as basis for improvements based on stakeholder feedback.
In the first year we set up the stakeholder communities in the hubs. To successfully implement the co-creation processes in each of the river basin hubs, a research partner and a key stakeholder were identified and made responsible for the co-creation process. They mobilized other relevant stakeholders and set-up a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process fitting both the project’s and the local RBO’s planning. This careful set-up ensures engagement and relevance of innovations, enhancing uptake.
Commonly used datasets and models were benchmarked against the needs of the stakeholder community. Jointly the stakeholders and project team set priorities in developments of next generation tools and data services which are developed in year 2 of the project.
In the first year the project has launched the Metadata Portal, an open, flexible, modular, and integrated portal providing access to existing data relevant for water resources management under climate change. It has already proven to be a valuable information portal containing almost 400 datasets and is based on FAIR principles.
We designed a mock-up of the STARS4Water dashboard, an interactive tool that helps to visualize and communicate data and indicators about the status of water resources availability in a river basin.
The project is currently in its second year, the development phase. Following co-design, we co-create new tools and data services. Next generation, data driven modelling tools are under development, for example for groundwater, reservoirs, and environmental flows. Multi-resolution models and integrated river basin management models are developed as well. The first models were discussed in a workshop with data-scientists and external experts.
We have defined river basin specific narratives for regional‐scale projections on future use of water resources and articulated “what if … “ questions as a variation to the business-as-usual scenario. Data collection and generation for translating the narratives to quantitative information and data modelling input is ongoing. The mock-up dashboard has matured to a prototype, serving as basis for improvements based on stakeholder feedback.
Summary of important progress and achievements of STARS4Water in the reporting period:
• More than in traditional projects we have achieved strong engaged with the stakeholders in river basin hubs and beyond, working on co-creation and capacity building, streamlined scientific and RBO’s workflows, using the hubs as living labs. The stakeholder communities are diverse but have indicated that they are committed to work jointly with and in STARS4Water. Generic approaches in co-design and co-development are tailored to the needs of individual river basins and matched with their own ongoing processes. We jointly set priorities for research and new developments in the STARS4Water project that will support the stakeholders in water resources management and operation.
• We have introduced next generation data services and models to stakeholders. Novel datasets and tools are prioritized and under development:
o We have already launched the STARS4Water Metadata Portal.
o We have co-designed the prototype of the interactive dashboard.
o We have developed new data-driven modelling approaches
• We gained understanding of climate risks and vulnerabilities about future water resources availability. Scenario narratives and what-if questions were developed to stakeholders as a powerful tool to explore future developments in water resources availability and use. European wide projections of change in water resources availability and assessments were translated to the regional level.
• More than in traditional projects we have achieved strong engaged with the stakeholders in river basin hubs and beyond, working on co-creation and capacity building, streamlined scientific and RBO’s workflows, using the hubs as living labs. The stakeholder communities are diverse but have indicated that they are committed to work jointly with and in STARS4Water. Generic approaches in co-design and co-development are tailored to the needs of individual river basins and matched with their own ongoing processes. We jointly set priorities for research and new developments in the STARS4Water project that will support the stakeholders in water resources management and operation.
• We have introduced next generation data services and models to stakeholders. Novel datasets and tools are prioritized and under development:
o We have already launched the STARS4Water Metadata Portal.
o We have co-designed the prototype of the interactive dashboard.
o We have developed new data-driven modelling approaches
• We gained understanding of climate risks and vulnerabilities about future water resources availability. Scenario narratives and what-if questions were developed to stakeholders as a powerful tool to explore future developments in water resources availability and use. European wide projections of change in water resources availability and assessments were translated to the regional level.