Digital water globe of IAHS to enhance communication and sharing

The digital revolution is accelerating, and the current pandemic induces both constraints and innovations. To coincide with its centenary, IAHS wishes to implement a web platform and software system to efficiently link and display global hydrological knowledge and scientific findings, and to facilitate new networking and knowledge management, e.g. linked to Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH), and thereby accelerating awareness and advancement.

Therefore, IAHS bureau decided on developing a digital globe, which aims to stimulate and facilitate engagement, interactions and dialogues between IAHS scientists and between scientists and stakeholders, such as other experts, practitioners, media and citizens. The development takes stock of current state-of-the-art technology in web visualisation and cutting-edge hydrological research from the IAHS international commissions and working groups, as well as HSJ scientific publications.

The digital globe offers co-creation and re-examines the role of scientific outreach by exploring novel digital ways to interact between scientists and society for mutual understanding and co-evolution. Most of all, the digital water globe will exploit the potential of an innovative digital arena for IAHS-community building, data/knowledge exchange and science communication in action.
This presentation will demonstrate the first version of the technical platform, its functionality and content, answering the why, what and how questions, deliberating the workplan and open for feedback from the community. The technical tool will also be displayed in the posters session for dialogues between developers and scientists throughout the assembly in Montpellier. The community engagement will decide if the tool may be a success.

The digital platform gives the opportunity to address all the initial requests to some extent:

• Graphic display of hydrological case studies from each continent, with community input.
• Overview of ongoing hydrological activities and scientific achievements.
• Opportunity for data sharing.
• Ability to link groups and foster scientific collaboration.
• Internal community building within and between IAHS Commissions and Working Groups.
• Engagement of and with partners, stakeholders and citizens.
• Framework for displaying and linking projects involved in the Panta Rhei and Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH) initiatives.
• Evolution and innovation over time to provide an on-going platform and archive.