WIRADA Science Symposium
1–5 August 2011, Melbourne, Australia

The Water Information Research and Development Alliance (WIRADA) Science Symposium will be held between 1 and 5 August 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. About 200 Australian and international researchers will be attending the Symposium, which is by invitation only.

Purpose of Symposium

The WIRADA Science Symposium is being convened to:

1. celebrate the achievements of the WIRADA program over the first three years
2. showcase the research approaches and outcomes (in the context of research operationalisation) with a broader national and international audience, and in the context of research
3. validate our science by exposing it to critical peer review
4. agree the research breakthroughs that must be achieved over WIRADA’s final two years
5. reflect on the research challenges that would need to be addressed beyond June 2013.

Desired outcomes

The WIRADA Science Symposium will:

1. validate the research methods and outcomes by our Australian and international peers
2. elicit fresh or novel ideas that help shape water information R&D over the final stages of WIRADA and identify core research threads requiring further high-impact R&D effort
3. strengthen collaboration between CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology with leading international and Australian researchers
4. produce a peer-reviewed publication
5. provide input to WIRADA Management Committee’s consideration of requirements for water information R&D beyond June 2013, and strengthen the collaborative working culture between CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology.

What is WIRADA?

Through the Water Act 2007, the Australian Government has given the Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau) responsibility for compiling and delivering comprehensive water information across the water sector in Australia.

Water resources information is currently collected and reported by more than 200 organisations across Australia, using a variety of methods. The range of collection and reporting methods and arrangements for accessing water data has made it difficult to monitor the status and use of Australia’s water resources and reliably forecast water availability. This has compromised the effectiveness of water resources management and planning. Improved accessibility, integration and use of national water resources information will result in better informed policy and infrastructure decisions and better evaluation of water sector reforms. This will also lead to greater confidence in how Australia manages this vital resource. These outcomes require substantial innovation and this can only be achieved through a world-class water information research and development program.

The Water Information Research and Development Alliance (WIRADA) is a research and development partnership between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau). It commenced in 2008, with $50m funding over five years.

WIRADA will transform the way Australia manages its water resources by delivering value-added water information products and tools based on a comprehensive and robust nationwide water information system.

The Alliance brings together the CSIRO’s nation-leading expertise in water and information sciences with the Bureau’s new operational responsibilities in water information. Through the Water for a Healthy Country Research Flagship, around 40 leading CSIRO researchers focus on topics including data interoperability, hydrologic modelling, water accounting, water resources assessment, and water availability predictions. The Alliance is guided by the Science Plan  which outlines the scope of research, and the Implementation Strategy which points to tactical investment priorities, maps out at a high level how the research may unfold over the five years, and identifies processes to facilitate the transition of research into the Bureau’s water information policies, systems, products and services.

More detail on the WIRADA portfolio and its progress is provided in the Annual Reports and www.csiro.au/partnerships/WIRADA.html

Important dates