WIRADA - Australia benefits from water research

The Water Information Research and Development Alliance (WIRADA) was formed in 2008 to bring together CSIRO's scientific skills in water data, information and modelling with the Bureau of Meteorology's expertise in delivering operational products and services to meet end user needs. WIRADA is transforming the way that Australia manages its water resources. We have led the development of international standards for the transfer of water data such as surface water and groundwater observations, transfers of water between storages, water quality and water trading information. We have dramatically improved Australia's understanding of our landscape and water resources through a high-resolution digital elevation model and a suite of hydrologically-relevant data sets and layers, such as stream networks, connections, aquifers, key measurement points, and boundaries of reporting regions and catchments. Accurate, daily-updated values of key water balance components such as soil moisture, evapotranspiration and surface water excess are now available for a 5km x 5 km grid across our continent, providing insight into the past and current state of our landscape water balance. In the forecasting area, Australia now has access to short term and seasonal forecasts of future water availability for over 150 sites across the country, the majority of which relate directly to estimation of future runoff into our nation's water storage infrastructure. Through these and other advances Australia is now better placed than ever to understand and manage our essential water asset as well as to be prepared for and respond to future changes over short and long time frames.