Papers WIS 6
Accessible now: 43 papers submitted at the Sixth Water Information Summit at IRC in September 2003.
NGO Forum: a nodal point for knowledge sharing and networking in Bangladesh (Shirin Biswas)
Information and knowledge plays a vital and crucial role in the world. This is particularly true against the backdrop of the Internet super highway, fast computers, sophisticated satellite-based remotely sensed data collection systems and trained and efficient manpower to operate these activities.
As the world advances, the gap between the developed and the developing world diminishes and Resource Centres plays a principle role in closing technology gaps and making strides so that the world can function as a global village.
Read more or download Biswas__33.pdf (186.6 kB)
Nile Basin capacity building network for river engineering (Hesham A.Ghany)
As a result of a joint project between the Hydraulic Research Institute (HRI) and UNESCO-IHE in Delft, the Netherlands on developing a regional training centre for the Nile basin countries, the idea was born to develop a Nile Basin Capacity Building Network (NBCBN) for professionals to sustain the professional and social relations that were built up during the various training courses. Such a network can be a powerful mechanism to address the need of building professional capacity in the field of water in the Nile region and an instrument in promoting regional cooperation among the Nile basin countries.
Read more or download Ghany__34.pdf (391.7 kB)
Opportunities and constraints of ICT developments for regional capacity building programmes (Dr. Jasveen Jairath)
Interview with Dr Jasveen Jairath, Director of South Asian Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies (SaciWATERs). SaciWATERs is a regional network for capacity building in integrated water resources management affiliated with Cap-Net.
Read more or download Jairath_02.pdf (113.9 kB)
Organization development guidebook - information resources for today's world (Nancy E. Barnes)
Successful organizations all over the world pay attention to good management practices. They take the time to develop and maintain their organizational strength. What does it mean to manage well? What does it men to have a strong organization? Many ask these questions across the North-South divide. But sometimes it is difficult for them to find the answers. Not any more.
Read more or download Barnes__41.pdf (168.5 kB)
Organizing an E-conference: an introduction to the E-conference concept (Desíree Vreke and Lin McDevitt-Pugh)
The Internet and email are rapidly changing the way people communicate with each other, both personally and professionally, and particularly across distances. These technologies are "shrinking" physical distances and are enlarging the possibilities for discussions among people who live in different parts of the world. The Internet allows for the transmission of nearly instantaneous messages and makes possible the creation of conversational communities that would otherwise face considerable challenges and costs in meeting and exchanging ideas.
This paper has been developed to document and discuss a particular use of email and the Internet - the electronic conference or "e-conference."
Read more or download Vreke__21.pdf (263.5 kB)
Pakistan water knowledge network (Asad Uz Zaman)
With growing global water crisis posing a threat to the security, stability and environmental sustainability of a nation, the need for a more people oriented and integrated approach to water management and development has become critical. Realizing the need of information/knowledge sharing and access to reliable and authentic information for effective water resource management and decision-making, IUCN - The World Conservation Union with support from the Government of Netherlands initiated the Pakistan Water Gateway (PWG) - a one stop website for all water related information pertaining to Pakistan.
Read more or download Zaman__17.pdf (305.0 kB)
PHAST approach to support safe water and sanitation in peri-urban areas: case of Lusaka, Zambia (Obed C. Kawanga and Shedrick Chakamisha)
The main or overall objectives of this project is to evaluate the effective of the Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) concept to support sustainable water supply and sanitation in peri-urban areas of Lusaka and to induce environmental health as well as the right of the citizen to clean and health environment. The study aims to investigate the PHAST methodology to see if it as it has contributed positively to environmental health integration in peri-urban areas.
Read more or download Kawanga__22.pdf (1.7 MB)
Removing the barriers to collaboration: FreshWaterLife(TM) as an example of data sharing (Kearon McNicol, Ian Pettman, Roger Sweeting)
Maintaining and improving the quality of freshwater and freshwater habitats is vital if the United Nations is to meet the aims stated in their millennium goals. Freshwater is essential for human health and provides many social and economic services. Modern water management requires quality control, flood management, drought alleviation, detailed knowledge of eco-systems and a management plan based on the catchment as a whole. Applying such a multi-disciplinary approach and assuring practical responses to management problems, is not easy. The Freshwater Life website helps by bringing the varied and scattered information together in one place.
Rio de la Plata and its maritime front environmental information system and portal: tools used and lessons learned
The IIS implementation was based on the compilation and organization of basic information on the Project area. The Project has recompiled the existing information on the Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front, has directed campaigns for new data gathering and has developed and financed research activities. In order to make the Project information available to all stakeholders involved in the environmental issue of the Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front, several actions were taken and activities performed, which enable the Project to overcome the existing difficulties and to promote the exchange and use of the information, and the detailed actions and activities are presented in this paper.
Read more or download Himshoot__30.pdf (328.0 kB)
SANICON: an Internet portal for information (Frank Odhiambo)
This paper presents a case study of Sanitation Connection (Sanicon) a subject gateway for sanitation information. The paper begins with a consideration of Internet portals and locates Sanicon within the context of Internet-based information systems. The issue of information overload, which has become very topical is discussed. This paves the way for a discussion of the reasons for Sanicon's development followed by an examination of the main design features of Sanicon. The important question of usage as applied to internet resources is explored as are the tools available for measuring this such as Web usage statistics. A short discussion about the limitations of usage statistics follows.
Read more or download Odhiambo__14.pdf (222.3 kB)
