The Water Data Collaborative is an affiliation of academic, governmental and non-profit institutions dedicated to harnessing the power of citizen-based water quality monitoring data. Since its formation in 2017, the Collaborative has been working to develop a systematic process and resources that citizen monitors can use to more effectively collect, manage, and share their data in open data repositories to inform decisions.

The Collaborative seeks to expand activities related to the Internet of Water (IoW), a vision for improving data flow between typically fragmented water sectors, in order to proactively engage citizen science in non-governmental organizations. Active facilitation by the Collaborative has allowed for seamless integration of water data into the IoW technical framework, maximizing the potential for data to be included in public policy and community decision-making.

This webcast will be of interest to groups at every stage of the water quality monitoring process and will cover:

  • A discussion of best practices and the need for planning and implementing a study design to ensure a successful monitoring program
  • A live demonstration of tools to visualize and simplify data management using machine-readable data
  • A conversation on how to conduct a GIS-based analysis that leverages existing EPA Water Quality Portal data and other data sources to inform on-the-ground watershed restoration efforts.

Webcast participants are eligible to receive a certificate for their attendance. The webcast presentations will be posted in advance at www.epa.gov/watershedacademy/watershed-academy-webcast-seminars and participants are encouraged to download them prior to the webcast.

Speakers:

  • Samantha Briggs, Acting Clean Water Program Director, Izaak Walton League of America
  • John Dawes, Executive Director, Chesapeake Commons
  • Emily Wiggans, GIS Analyst, Chesapeake Conservancy

Registration:

The Watershed Academy: The Watershed Academy is a focal point in EPA’s Office of Water for providing training and information on implementing watershed approaches. The Academy self-paced training modules and webcast seminars provide current information from national experts across a broad range of watershed topics. For more information, please visit www.epa.gov/watershedacademy.