CandHy
The CANDHY Working Group (WG) aims to stimulate discussion, sharing of knowledge, information, data, ideas fostering scientific and professional exchange of academic, institutional and citizen communities interested in the “Citizen AND HYdrology" topic. CANDHY seeks to discover the potential of citizen involvement and crowdsourced data for advancing hydrologic research in water resource and risk management, hydroclimatic risk mitigation and disaster preparedness. CandHy addresses the challenges stated by IAHS for the scientific decade 2013–2022 entitled “Panta Rhei – Everything Flows” on hydrology and society with specific regard to the value of citizen science and crowdsourced data in studying the mutual feedbacks between natural and anthropogenic dynamics.
The first CANDHY Community paper is out on HSJ, check it out and become a CANDHY friend to join our next scientific venture.
You can check the CANDHY publications page for more info.
CANDHY promotes multidisciplinary and trans-sectorial researches integrating hydrology, and earth science in general, with citizen and data science. CandHy investigates on novel methods for adopting user generated content (UGC) (e.g. data from social network) and volunteering geographic information (VGI) for collaborative analysis and mapping (e.g. OpenStreetMap) with the aim of advancing in the understanding, analysis, modelling and communication of hydrologic dynamics. CandHy explores the role of citizens acting as human sensors of hydrologic and societal processes and features using largely accessible technology (e.g. smart phones, web cams, drones, …) and, at the same time, providing information on population dynamics, citizen perception and behavior that shall be used by decision makers for water risk management.
The focus of CANDHY WG is to organize, share and disseminate ideas, tools, data and scientific knowledge gathered from multidisciplinary and trans-sectorial researches developing and testing innovative procedures and tools implementing crowdsourcing collaborative platforms, communication and outreach activities, active citizenship and public participation for water resource management.
CANDHY aims to become an open hub where the WG community members, partners and citizens (CandHy friends) meet and explores the value of both citizen and expert volunteering for knowledge and data creation and sharing. Citizen involvement and the use of novel observational techniques are key themes for addressing hydrologic challenges and communicating water risk, especially in developing countries where the lack of monitoring and education can greatly benefit from crowdsourcing communication and education material providers. In this regard CandHy works in close synergy with IAHS working groups Education in Hydrological Sciences and MOXXI.
To achieve this, the CANDHY WG will:
- Gather, archive, organize and share publications, online resources, data, scientific, professional and community-driven projects related to the CANDHY topic;
- Communicate actively with the scientific and non-scientific community interested in CANDHY organizing a dedicated mailing list and sending out monthly communications (email/newsletter) to share news, updates on conferences, workshops, courses and any information of interest.
- Use social networks (facebook, instagram, twitter) to create and share daily/weekly posts, keep up to date and follow news on CANDHY research, projects and data and participate actively to the IAHS linkedin group.
- Gather, organize and share links to software, web platforms, projects and working groups dealing with crowdsourced data, VGI, UGC and any open geo data and technology of interest for hydrological sciences;
- Sponsor, encourage and organize workshops, training events and sessions at major scientific conferences on hydrology and earth science disciplines participating actively to IAHS and IUGG events, EGU general assembly, AGU fall meeting and in any other event and venue of interest.
- Partnering and networking with other scientific working groups and associations sharing the same view and mission (e.g. CUAHSI) also linking non-scientific associations (citizen-driven organizations, industries, public administration, …).
CANDHY WG Chair contact info: Wouter Buytaert