Project AM3

Contact: Boyan Brodaric (Leader)

Summary

Several recent reports on the state-of-art of Canadian groundwater have identified data management and dissemination as major barriers to the effective use of groundwater data. This project addresses these barriers:

• it improves online access to groundwater data nationally, through leadership of the collaborative Groundwater Information Network (GIN);
• it enhances management of NRCan groundwater research data, through development and maintenance of the NRCan Groundwater Database; and
• it develops new approaches to decision support with groundwater data to aid sustainable resource management.

The ultimate result of the project is a national de-centralized groundwater information system that links key distributed groundwater databases, such as those held by NRCan as well as provincial and other agencies, and which provides methods and tools to use the data for augmented decision support.

Activities

Groundwater Information Network

Contact: Boyan Brodaric (Leader)

GIN is a collaboration of groundwater agencies consisting of NRCan and several provinces and territories. The collaboration aims to increase the availability and interoperability of key groundwater data across the country through the development and deployment of data standards and web-based tools. Priority data includes water well databases, followed by regional aquifer maps, and potentially groundwater monitoring data. GIN will result in: an NRCan web portal for accessing and using GIN data (www.gw-info.net); other web portals developed and maintained by third parties for public or commercial purposes; a standards-based technologic infrastructure for Canadian groundwater data that can continue to evolve; a set of national and international standards for groundwater data interoperability, developed in conjunction with partners.

NRCan Groundwater Database

Contact Eric Boisvert (Leader)

The NRCan Groundwater Database is a repository for groundwater data generated by NRCan groundwater research projects, as well as a catalog of some online resources and groundwater information held by NRCan and its partners. The aim of this activity is to ingest NRCan groundwater data, make the NRCan data available to GIN, and serve as a catalog of online resources to GIN. The activity will produce an updated NRCan database and a series of internal data standards to be used to upload groundwater data from the program's groundwater research projects.

Pathways to Groundwater Decision Support

Contact: Murray Journeay (Leader)

This activity will wrap-up the development and deployment of new methods for regional groundwater risk and vulnerability assessment, carried out in the Pathways component of the previous program cycle. This activity will complete technical reports related to the use of methods for determining regional groundwater vulnerability, and will monitor and evaluate impacts of previous case studies in BC, primarily on Vancouver Island. This activity will also contribute previous Pathways work to the groundwater component of the Canadian Water Network (CWN) project entitled "Developing a Canadian Water Security Framework as a tool for assessing cumulative impacts and improving watershed governance".