Citation:

Agnoli, L., E. Urquhart, N. Georgantzis, B. Schaeffer, R. Simmons, B. Hoque, M. Neely, C. Neil, J. Oliver, AND A. Tyler. Perspectives on user engagement of satellite Earth observation for water quality management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. ELSEVIER, AMSTERDAM, Holland, 189:122357, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122357

Impact/Purpose:

Recent advances in satellite Earth observation (EO) now provide the solution for consistent unbiased monitoring of disparate water bodies and has the opportunity to democratize data on water quality to build a collective understanding to facilitate improved management and behavior, reduce risk and make advances to ensure clean water and sanitation is available to all. Despite this opportunity there are significant bottlenecks to the implementation and uptake of EO technology. Establishing a baseline of understanding across the global water sector is a critical first step that is presented here. While the results highlight that there is a very mixed understanding of the opportunity the satellite EO presents to the user community, there are examples of the gradual integration of satellite EO data into policy and decision making.

Description:

The management and governance of our surface waters is core to life and prosperity on our planet. However, monitoring data are not available to many potential users and the disparate nature of water bodies makes consistent monitoring across so many systems difficult. While satellite Earth observation (EO) offers solutions, there are numerous challenges that limit the use of satellite EO for water monitoring. To understand the perceptions of using satellite EO for water quality monitoring, a survey was conducted within academia and the water quality management sector. Study objectives were to assess community understanding of satellite EO water quality data, identify barriers in the adoption of satellite EO data, and analyse trust in satellite EO data. Most (40 %) participants were beginners with little understanding of satellite EO. Participants indicated problems with satellite EO data accessibility (31 %) and interpretability (26 %). Results showed a high level of trust with satellite EO data and higher trust with in-situ EO data. This study highlighted the gap between water science, applied social science, and policy. A transdisciplinary approach to managing water resources is needed to bridge water disciplines and take a key role in areas such as social issues, knowledge brokering, and translation.

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