Perspectives for Information Systems for Water

Abstract

This article gives the perspectives for Water Informations Systems in Europe.

In the EU there is currently a strong concerted effort to improve the information flow and accessibility of water data, and in fact EU water policies have evolved fast in the last few years. The Water Framework Directive (also known as the WFD or Directive 2000/60/EC) is a very important piece of legislation for the protection and improvement of the quality of all water resources within the European Union. Considering the complexity of the technical issues, it is recognised that a common approach to some of these challenges would allow the sharing of expertise, information, experience and resources whilst facilitating, as far as possible, a coherent and harmonious implementation of the Directive. This of course has implications for the information systems.