Enhanced information systems and governance

A large diversity of tools within the enhanced information system “toolbox” to adapt to a large diversity of situations in terms of groundwater governance

There is often the vision that an enhanced information system (EIS) is somewhat a large set of tools that are all connected within a central system of collecting information, analyzing it and circulating analyses among actors. In most case studies of eGroundwater, many tools of EIS proved very useful, but generally were adapted to specific situations and not really connected one another, e.g. a role-playing game to initiate discussions in Algeria, community monitoring in Morocco, an app managed by the water user association in Spain, etc. All these tools proved their usefulness in a certain context to help actors achieve a specific goal, without being fully integrated in a centralized information system.

Another learning of the project is that, initially, EIS was thought to be a system to produce, analyze and disseminate “objective” information (such as groundwater level, land use, etc.) that is “neutral”. Actually, the “social embeddedness” of groundwater data and knowledge proved to play a key role. First, many groundwater data have strategic value: this is why many farmers were not motivated to join a community monitoring system in Morocco, or key actors did not want to join the eGroundwater process in Portugal, or why the water user association in Spain refused to use the app prepared by the eGroundwater project. Second, many tools used by eGroundwater team were used to organize dialogue and exchange of visions between actors, acknowledging the diversity of viewpoints. This was the case of the role playing game in Algeria or of the workshop to share views between farmers and hydrogeologists in Morocco. Tools can be used to foster dialogue and communication between actors having various viewpoints, possibly leading to a joint view of the functioning of the groundwater system.

New technologies : in support (but not replacing) facilitation

The initial vision of eGroundwater project was that EIS could play a key role in triggering or strengthening groundwater governance. The lesson at the end of the project is that this optimistic view has to be refined. For many innovations having a strong technological components, there is generally the need to put in place the « institutions » first if they are to be used (e.g. the app) or used in a sustained way (e.g. community monitoring in the Moroccan case). EIS can help learning, communication between actors, etc. but it cannot replace the « elbow grease » efforts of facilitation between actors to get these institutions right.

See more details in the report on improvement of groundwater governance of eGroundwater.