The U.S. Water Partnership has announced the launch of a new platform that offers the global community simple online access to a growing library of U.S.-generated water data and knowledge.
H2infO was created to increase global access to important U.S.-generated water information resources, filling a gap in knowledge management identified by the international water community. By the end of 2014, more than 10,000 water resources from leading U.S.-based institutions will be centrally accessible through this expanding tool.
The platform was developed by the U.S. Water Partnership, a public-private alliance formed to unite and mobilize U.S. expertise, resources and ingenuity to address water challenges where needs are the greatest.
“H2infO is designed to bring U.S. experiences and resources to the international community by offering tools and information to assist in solving specific water challenges,” said Ambassador Harriet Babbitt, Chair of the U.S. Water Partnership Steering Committee.
H2infO was made possible through the support of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Water Partnership’s nearly one hundred members. In a recent fact sheet published by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the platform was recognized as a “virtual community of practice to share data, experiences, lessons and best practices.”
Today’s launch of H2infO took place during a seminar at World Water Week in Stockholm, co-hosted by the Natural Resources Defense Council. At the event, representatives from leading water organizations including the U.S. Department of Energy Sandia National Laboratories, the Pacific Institute, CH2M HILL, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund, Water For People and the University of California, Santa Barbara, demonstrated how the data and information available through H2infO can assist in addressing distinct water challenges, such as the current drought facing the American West.
Information technologies such as H2infO can go a long way in solving the world’s water issues. In 2013, IBM unveiled a crowdsourcing app in South Africa that encourages South Africans to fix their own water distribution problems. South African citizens can use the app with SMS capabilities to report leaks, faulty water pipes and any problems with their local canals.
One sector that could benefit from reduced water intensity is the cotton industry. This week, social enterprise CottonConnect released a report that said major brands that drive demand for cotton have an economic interest in reducing the industry's water use because it improves farms’ income and yields. The report shows simple interventions such as farmer training and knowledge sharing on basic agricultural practices have resulted in 30 percent reductions in water use among smallholder farmers.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Sep 2, 2014 12pm EDT / 9am PDT / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST