Action 11603 - Integrated Water Quality Information System (IWQIS)

How can we verify that the overall quality of water in Europe is improving, as required by the Water Framework Directive?

The European Union has applied and continues to develop policies for the protection of European water bodies and aquatic ecosystems, with the aim to improve the water quality in the Member States individually and in the EU as a whole. These policies require reliable and comparable data for the Member States, in order to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the policies. In particular the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the development of harmonised, reliable and comparable data from the Member States to be collected and assessed. At the moment, Member States report water quality data to a number of international bodies, in compliance with the various EU directives, international agreements and treaties. The Water Framework Directive is expected to assure a more structured flow of information, and may act as the main focal point for water data delivery for the next ten to twenty years. To this end, the JRC will assist in the further development of standard reporting tools on water quality in support to the Water Framework Directive and the Water Information System for Europe (WISE). This will take into account the ongoing co-operation in the so-called “Group of Four”, consisting of DG Environment, DG Eurostat, the European Environment Agency and the JRC, as well as the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) being developed jointly in a number of thematic fields (e.g. water, floods, forest). Internal JRC co-ordination with other relevant Actions (for instance AGRI-ENV, EEWAI, INSPIRE, COSIN-JRC) will be undertaken. Additional links to technical and data management activities are complemented by research in the field of eco-informatics.

 

Specific objectives of the Action

• To further develop the Water Information System for Europe (WISE), and to support the resubmission of Article 3, and new submission of Articles 5 and 6 data from Member States.

• To fully integrate the CCM2 GIS data set of water bodies in Europe into WISE, and exploration of its analysis and assessment potential (in collaboration with Action AGRI-ENV).

• To automate the integration of the State of the Environment data from the EEA with the mandatory data being delivered currently by Member States, and to provide access to the combined database through an expert user interface (in collaboration with Action INSPIRE).

• To host and to make available the WFD Intercalibration reference datasets form the 14 Geographical Intercalibration Groups of Member States, including new Member States and Candidate Countries (in collaboration with Action EEWAI).

• To co-lead the WISE Technical Group in collaboration with the EEA and to provide scientific and technical support to DG Environment through the continuing participation in the WISE Steering Committee and the Working Group on Reporting.

• To develop the scientific area of eco-informatics in collaboration with international partners, including facilitating the Implementing Arrangement on “Environmental Research and Eco-informatics” between the European Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency, and exporting the experience of WISE .

 

The Action will host and further develop the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) to receive, process, interpret and report on the delivery of water quality data by the Member States as part of reporting requirements under the Water Framework Directive. This will streamline data reporting for inland and coastal waters to be performed by the Member States as required by EU Directives.

Action IWQIS will keep international partnerships within the Eco-informatics co-operation, with US agencies, especially with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and with other partners like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), relevant standard groups and international universities.

 

Contact info

Palle Haastrup

Tel: (+39) 0332 789083   E-mail: palle.haastrup(at)jrc.it

 

Main customers

- DG Environment

- European Environment Agency

- United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA)

- Environmental authorities (competent authorities for Water Framework Directive implementation in the Member States and Candidate Countries)

- UNEP

- International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)

 

EU Legislation and Documents supported by this Action

- The Water Framework Directive and associated legislation

- Sixth Community Environment Action Programme

 

Relevant links

Water Framework Directive Reporting Apllication

Water Information System for Europe