A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the International Water Association (IWA) and the GEO AquaWatch initiative.

IWA is the leading network and global knowledge hub for all water professionals and anyone committed to the future of water.

AquaWatch is part of the Group on Earth Observation, a partnership of more than 100 national governments that envisions a future where Earth observation (EO) technologies are used to enable better water resources management and decision-making.

Both GEO AquaWatch and IWA share the same goal of enabling water professionals to access and share information on the application of EO information and technologies for improved water management.

The MoU plans a number of actions to raise awareness among both audiences of the important work being undertaken in this area, including collaboration on a community of practice, the sharing of best practice, and joint outreach and education programmes.

Several existing IWA initiatives highlight the growing interest towards EO technologies for water management. These include the recent webinar on EO technology for water quality management, and the Digital Water Programme EO Community of Practice. Furthermore, IWA is a consortium member in the PrimeWater EU H2020 project, which generates and shares water quality information, building on EO data products and additional information and diagnostics.

IWA members interested on this topic can join and find ways to get involved with the EO technology for water management community of practice.