Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment - Knowledge Base program
The objective of the Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment (the assessment) is to provide an enduring knowledge base to inform development of northern Australia’s water resources, so that development proceeds in an ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable manner.
The knowledge base will provide easy access to information to assist in decision-making and planning of water resource development in northern Australia. It may include information on:
- water resource availability in northern Australia
- ecosystem, cultural and social functions of water resources in northern Australia and potential impacts of changes in hydrological regimes (including those due to any future development) on these functions
- critical environmental thresholds and limits
- current water infrastructure/assets and the economic value of water
- information on administrative, policy or regulatory issues of relevance.
Users of the knowledge base will include policy makers, NRM bodies researchers, Indigenous groups, industry as well as interested members of the general public. The knowledge base will assist users to plan and make decisions based on the best available knowledge and information concerning water resources in northern Australia.
Projects
Requirements analysis and design for the NAWFA knowledge base - Finalised
A report prepared by NGIS Australia Pty Ltd includes recommendations as to the design, including possible structure, content and architecture of the knowledge base. These recommendations were based on consultations with potential users of the knowledge base.
Analysis of existing knowledge/information management systems - Finalised
This project assessed whether any existing systems have, or can be developed to have, functionality or infrastructure capable of supporting the knowledge base requirements. This analysis found no single system met all the requirements identified by NGIS and identified a preferred solution.
Development of detailed user requirements - Finalised
Based on the findings of the Analysis of existing knowledge/information management systems project, a business analyst has been engaged to undertake a validation of the user requirements and develop detailed specifications that will inform the next stage of the development of the knowledge base.
Contact us
For further queries or to receive updates, email northern.assessment@environment.gov.au or phone 1800 218 478.
See also
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