The WMO HydroHub organizes User-Provider Webinars and Workshops in countries and regions that aim at engaging NMHSs with the existing and potential users of their services through an open dialogue. The user community targets main actors from public and private sectors that rely on hydrological data for their well-functioning. These may include actors from water resources management, water supply and sanitation, energy, agriculture and fisheries, construction, industry, health, research, defense, disaster risk management, navigation and environmental protection, etc.
Benefits of User-Provider Webinars and Workshops: |
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NMHSs |
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Users (public and private sectors) |
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Hydrological data collected by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) do not always address the actual needs and requirements of both existing and potential data users. Conversely, the potential data users are not always aware of what hydrological data is collected by NMHSs and what services it can support. This situation can occur with unestablished connections to potential users, weak public-private collaborations and non-effective feedback processes. Consequently, hydrological data can often be not fit for some purposes, perhaps of unknown quality and/or lacking metadata, and thus with unrealized full value. This could result in low uptake and low-cost recovery of NMHSs’ services. In view of this, optimization of the NMHSs’ service delivery and application of a user-oriented approach for the NMHSs’ operations are therefore crucial.
The following steps are necessary for such optimization:
- With existing users:
- better understanding of their needs and requirements;
- strengthening collaborations and Private-Public Engagements (PPEs) for sustainable service provision and co-monitoring (including through data sharing; crowdsourcing; updating, setting up and maintaining of monitoring networks);
- suggesting new products and enhancing feedback mechanisms;
- continuously improving and tailoring services (including through human and institutional capacity development).
- With potential users:
- identifying and connecting to new users;
- understanding their needs and requirements;
- establishing collaborations/PPEs for sustainable service provision and co-monitoring;
- facilitating user-driven products and services co-design and development;
- establishing feedback mechanisms;
- continuously improving and tailoring services.
Webinar Objectives
- Showcase the portfolio of the NMHSs’ data services;
- Present the needs and requirements of existing and potential data users;
- Showcase any hydrological data collection activities carried out by data users;
- Showcase best practices;
- Define objectives for the User-Provider Workshop.
Workshop Objectives
- Put forward recommendations for strengthening collaborations/PPEs and feedback mechanisms between NMHSs and data users.
Detailed workshop objectives are defined based on the outcomes of the User-Provider Webinar.