Knowledge Management Workshop @ the 6th Water Information Summit
The workshop will focus on the practical use of knowledge management (KM) for improved water resources management (WRM). By the end of the workshop participants will be able to come up with solutions to knowledge transfer problems they have identified within their own organisations and WRM partnerships. Each participant will develop an action plan to achieve at least one substantive KM improvement in his or her organisation within 100 days.
Breaking the Barriers: Let Water Information Flow!
9–12 September 2003 - Summit
15–17 September 2003 - Knowledge Management Workshop
Hosted at the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, Netherlands
Objectives
Good and accessible information is the basis for making decisions about water resources. The Water Information Summit (WIS-6), will be held in Europe for the first time in September 2003. It will focus on strategies to overcome the "digital divide" between North and South and within the South and to share knowledge and information in support of the management of the water and sanitation sectors.
WIS-6 brings together communication specialists, information managers, web site managers, academics, scientists, policy-makers, and other water information users and providers. WIS-6 will provide a forum to discuss the state of the art and trends in knowledge management, the application of web-based technologies and the formation of partnerships. One focus for the Summit will be the future of water portals - web based interactive sites which make it easy to search water related web sites.
Small working groups will deal with topics, such as e-learning, water portal development, adoption of metadata standards, and water information assistance services (help desks). The Summit will be followed by a three and a half day Knowledge Management Workshop.
Abstracts and Poster Presentations
Abstracts and poster presentations are invited that focus on:
- closing the digital divide: opportunities and lessons learned;
- knowledge management in practice, including the application of Information Communication Technologies (ICT), electronic learning tool, and training, education, and outreach; and
- case studies on the development of water portals and internet-based information systems (experiences and lessons learned).
Suggested paper topics are listed below.
Presenters are particularly invited to pay attention to gender aspects in view of the fact that for projects to be sustainable, equitable, and effective, they must take account of the cultural and social differences between men and women, including differences in the extent to which men and women have access to, and control over, resources.
Abstracts have to be submitted before 18 April 2003. This can be done on line or by e-mail to wis6delft@irc.nl. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Summit programme committee and selected authors will be notified by 30 April 2003.
Two authors will be awarded free Summit registration, travel and lodging expenses. The others are expected to cover these costs themselves.
Presentation Topics
- The use of information by diverse target groups in the water sector: poor women, men and children, national and regional resource centres, policy makers and water managers.
- Effective and equitable information and knowledge sharing to support safe water and sanitation in the developing world.
- The potential of information to contribute to improved health and poverty reduction.
- The role of national and regional resource centres in the South.
- Gender and water in the information society.
- Closing the Digital Divide: opportunities and lessons learned.
- Implementation of actions taken at the 3rd World Water Forum for the future of water information.
- New and existing Water Portals in support of the water sector.
Special Opening Session - IRC Anniversary Event
The Summit will open with a series of events to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. Keynote speakers will address the main themes of the Summit that will later be explored in technical papers, posters, and working group discussions during the Summit. During the opening session, a new book "Water Stories" published by IRC, will be launched. For information about how to contribute to this book visit http://www.irc.nl/info/wstories/index.php
Knowledge Management Workshop
From 15-17 September 2003, IRC and IW:LEARN will present a three and a half day workshop for approximately 20-25 participants in association with the Summit. The workshop will focus on the practical use of knowledge management (KM) for improved water resources management (WRM). By the end of the workshop participants will be able to come up with solutions to knowledge transfer problems they have identified within their own organisations and WRM partnerships. Each participant will develop an action plan to achieve at least one substantive KM improvement in his or her organisation within 100 days.
Travel and Hotel Accommodations
The summit, workshop and functions will be held at the International Institute for Infrastructural, Hydraulic, and Environmental Engineering (IHE) in Delft, the home of a number of international water and capacity building initiatives. Delft is a small, historic water city, located within 45 minutes of the Schiphol International Airport, 50 minutes of Amsterdam, and only 15 minutes from The Hague and Rotterdam. Accommodation at special Summit rates (EUR 75 to 120) is available close to the IHE. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations and travel arrangements. Please check the list of the available hotels and contact information. Early reservation - before 1 May 2003 - is recommended!
Registration
The early registration fee for the Summit (before 2 May 2003) is EUR 275. After 2 May it is EUR 375. This fee includes the opening reception, coffee and tea breaks, lunches, and the conference portfolio. You may register for the Summit on line. Application for the workshop, by e-mail, to wis6delft@irc.nl. Tuition fee for the workshop is EUR 600. The official language of the summit and the workshop will be English.
Educational excursions and technical tours will be offered to Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the historical Batavia ship museum, and a visit to the Dutch waterworks.
Sponsoring Organizations
WIS 6 is a joint effort of the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and the Water Web Consortium.The following organizations are co-sponsors of the Water Information Summit and the Workshop:
- American Water Resources Association (AWRA)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
- Florida Center for Environmental Studies (CES)
- GEF-IW:LEARN
- Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
- Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS/Water)
- Inter-American Water Resources Network (IWRN),
- International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD),
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
- UNESCO - International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
- UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC)
- Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
Important Dates
Abstracts due: 18 April 2003
Early bird registration (discount of EUR 100!): 2 May 2003
Notification of paper acceptance: 30 April 2003
Papers due: 13 June 2003
Contact
Ms. Ingeborg Krukkert (IRC)
P.O. Box 2869
2601 CW Delft
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 15 219 29 85
Fax: +31 15 219 09 55
E-mail: wis6delft@irc.nl
http://www.irc.nl/news/wis6.html
Mr. Terry Dodge (Water Web Consortium)
3932 RCA Blvd., suite 3210
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
United States
Tel: +1 (561) 691-8557
Fax: +1 (561) 691-8540
E-mail: tdodge@ces.fau.edu
http://www.waterweb.org
List of available hotels in Delft
Please note:
inform the hotel of the code: WIS6; most hotels offer discounts if booked before 1 May 2003
not all hotels include breakfast in their room prices
that you are responsible for your reservation and cancellation
some hotels offer double room booking
Hotels
De Plataan, info@hoteldeplataan.nl, +31 15 2126046
Dish Hotel, info@dishhoteldelft.nl, +31 15 2569358
Campanile, delft@campanile.nl, +31 15 2799000
Johannes Vermeer, hotelvermeer@hotelnet.nl, +31 15 2126466,
de Kok, hotelkok@wanadoo.nl, +31 15 2122125
Museumhotel, info@museumhotel.nl, +31 15 2140930
De Koophandel, info@hoteldekoophandel.nl, +31 15 2126046
