Blueprint for a Flood and Drought Research Infrastructure
Lead Research Organisation:
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Department Name: Hydro-climate Risks
Abstract
This 15-month scoping phase project will deliver the blueprint for a Flood and Drought Infrastructure Investment (FDRI). It will provide the evidence for, and recommendations on how the intended programme of infrastructure could be established and managed in order to deliver benefits to society. The scoping will involve extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders and collate evidence and experiences from other similar initiatives worldwide. It will seek the views of the broad community to agree upon the initial driving science challenges that can only be addressed through a significant investment in data and observing networks. Through consultation we will seek answers to questions such as what new measurements are required, where and how the data can be gathered and what new technology might be be required. The blueprint will develop a series of costed investment strategies (including the implications of "do nothing") and plans for the networks longer term sustainability. A open, near real-time data and IT framework will be proposed to ensure that the data are made available in a quick and simple manner.
Publications
Old GH
(2022)
Digitally enabled infrastructure for flood and drought research.
in Nature
Wagener T
(2021)
Knowledge gaps in our perceptual model of Great Britain's hydrology
in Hydrological Processes
| Description | Through this scoping study, community-driven investment options were identified for a UK-wide Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI), providing a world-leading, digitally-supported, monitoring and innovation capability. The inclusion of support for capacity building will enable new more collaborative ways of working. FDRI investment options were informed by detailed consultation activities that identified community science requirements, priorities and lessons learnt from previous investments in monitoring. Two of the options provided a step change in scientific capability and were included in an application for funding from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund. This application successfully secured UKRI's intention to invest £38M in FDRI. Knowledge gained from the scoping study continues to inform the detailed design and costing of FDRI as the full business case is developed. |
| Exploitation Route | The FDRI scoping study provided NERC with a robust evidence base for an investment in a floods and droughts infrastructure. The 'silver plus preferred' and 'less preferred gold' options were included in an application to UKRI for Infrastructure Funding. The application was successful and in June 2022 UKRI's announced their intention to invest £38M in FDRI. Subsequent work has been focused on, for example, the development of the Business Cases, governance, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, and the confirmation of locations of observatories and the proposed infrastructure (including their costs). These areas will be progressed through collaborative working between NERC and the scoping phase delivery team and it will include focused group discussions with community representatives. These ongoing discussions will ensure the FDRI investment builds on existing infrastructure and alignment with future investments is optimised. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Environment |
| Description | Environmental regulators with responsibilities for flood risk management recognise the need for advanced scientific understanding. Ongoing discussions with representatives of the UK Hydrology RoadMap have identified mutual benefits from these complimentary investments. In delivering the Government's 25-Year Environment Plan, DEFRA recognises the value of FDRI in enabling science that will contribute to their knowledge base. The first revision of the 25 Year Environment Plan was published in January 2023 and this acknowledges the value of FDRI (see p.114). |
| Description | NERC CAPITAL FUNDING |
| Amount | £2,000,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Description | Co-ordination of national hydrological initiatives |
| Organisation | British Hydrological Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | Nick Reynard (FDRI PI) is chair of the coordination group for ensuring that FDRI, the British Hydrological Society initiative in the "Future of Hydrology", the Flood Hydrology Roadmap (led by the EA) and the National Capability HydroJULES programme are aware of the activities and objectives of each and become more aligned and complimentary. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The PIs for each of the initiatives send 1-2 representatives to the co-ordination group meetings. |
| Impact | Improved understanding and alignment of, and collaboration between the four initiatives. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Co-ordination of national hydrological initiatives |
| Organisation | Environment Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Nick Reynard (FDRI PI) is chair of the coordination group for ensuring that FDRI, the British Hydrological Society initiative in the "Future of Hydrology", the Flood Hydrology Roadmap (led by the EA) and the National Capability HydroJULES programme are aware of the activities and objectives of each and become more aligned and complimentary. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The PIs for each of the initiatives send 1-2 representatives to the co-ordination group meetings. |
| Impact | Improved understanding and alignment of, and collaboration between the four initiatives. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Article in the EurAqua newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An article was prepared for the EurAqua newsletter to inform the hydrological community across Europe of the potential value of the UK's investment in the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure. This item was submitted March 2023 and the publication dats is TBC. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.euraqua.org/content/newsletter.4.5bcd43b91781d2f501c10bc.html |
| Description | Community newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A newsletter was sent to 765 recipients (14th Nov 2022) to remind them of the scientific basis of FDRI, provide them with an update on progress, and share next steps. These newsletters are important in maintaining community enthusiasm and engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Floods and droughts research infrastructure consultative questionnaire |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | PURPOSE: This questionnaire was used to consult academic and non-academic members of our stakeholder community with respect to their requirements for infrastructure. It built upon previous NERC consultations (NERC 2019) by presenting knowledge gained, identifying missing information and seeking community views on their prioritisation. Approximately 300 stakeholders opted in to complete the FDRI questionnaire and >40% (125 persons) completed it. OUTCOMES: The questionnaire helped confirm and prioritise community needs. It informed the design of the workshop that took place on 14th January 2021 and the content of the briefing papers shared in advance. The questionnaire importantly confirmed the relevance of the six science questions. The workshop was then designed with six groups considering pairs of questions whilst rotating through three cycles. The cycles were also informed by information gained from the questionnaire. During the introductory presentations of each cycle summary information from the questionnaire was presented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://fdri@ceh.ac.uk |
| Description | Floods and droughts research infrastructure discussions with relevant initiatives. For example, discussed synergies with the lead of the Forth ERA initiative and UK DANUBIUS initiative (A.Tyler; Stirling University, March 2021) and the NERC Centre Data Operations Group (Nov 2020) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Discussed synergies between initiatives. In particular, identified existing investments in observing and data infrastructure to identify where additional investments could add most value. The Forth ERA initiative is currently establishing catchment observing infrastructure. Our initial discussion has demonstrated the value of an ongoing dialogue. Benefits are likely to arise from sharing experiences with regard to managing risks, sustainability and resourcing of infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | Floods and droughts research infrastructure introductory presentations. Examples include: NERC HydroJules National Capability project meeting (Jun2020), UK Environmental Observation Framework (Dec 2020), Natural Hazards Partnership (Dec 2020), and UKCEH Hydroclimatic Risks Science Area (Dec 2020). |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Purpose: Existing stakeholder groups were identified in the FDRI engagement strategy. Introductory presentations were delivered to several groups to inform them of the potential opportunity represented by this infrastructure investment and to encourage them to opt in. Outcome: Increased community awareness of the FDRI scoping study and increased number of stakeholders opting in to further engage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Introduction to the Flood and Drought Research Infrastructure Webinar - October 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This webinar was produced to introduce the FDRI Scoping Study to the UK Hydrology Community - it was 1hr long and the intention for the webinar was to introduce the FDRI team, purpose and scope of the study as well as a live Q&A session. 124 more people opted in to engage following the event, Quotes included 'Many thanks for the most intelligent, analytical, credible & encouraging presentation on approaches to UK flooding I have encountered from agencies or authorities in the 12 months I have been in this role. '; 'I have signed up now and definitely have a better understanding of what it's all about. The Q&A worked well' and 'I didn't really understand the aims beforehand - but now I do'. This indicates that we managed to secure investment from more diverse parts of the hydrological community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/floods-and-droughts-research-infrastructure-project-fdri |
| Description | Invited presentation at the Environment Agency's Profession Seminar Series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Matt Fry and Gareth Old presented: 'Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure: enabling the hydrological research community'. An overview of the scope and potential benefit of this investment to the Environment Agency was presented to 175 participants. Mutual benefits of collaborating over a number of initiatives were presented and plans to further engage were stated. Collaborative working with all UK environmental agencies will be essential throughout all phases of FDRI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Meeting with representatives from United States Geological Survey |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We met online on 7th September 2022 to discuss synergies between the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure project and their Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS). Many benefits were identified in collaborating and links were established between specific team members. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Panel Session at the British Hydrological Society Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This panel session chaired by Prof Hayley Fowler explored how the Floods and Droughts Research Initiative can bring transformational change to UK hydrology. The chair of the scoping study steering committee Prof David Hannah highlighted the significance of this opportunity and made a call for community collaboration to maximise benefits. Members of the delivery team gave insights into elements of the FDRI (Observatories, Gareth Old; Digital, Matt Fry, Innovation, Wouter Buytaert and Capacity Building, Gemma Coxon). Useful feedback was received in discussion sessions and this has informed the planning phase of FDRI. Questions that focused on observatory selection, infrastructure design and innovation have influenced the approach we have adopted. The short presentations informed the audience and have enabled many follow up discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at the DEFRAs Simply Evidence seminar series (No. 59) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This presentation was delivered by Gareth Old and Matt Fry to inform DEFRA colleagues of the scope and potential of FDRI to enable policy relevant science. This knowledge sharing is important in encouraging and enabling follow up engagements. Ensuring DEFRA are informed is a priority as this is likely to lead to funding opportunities for policy relevant research. Links to DEFRA will be developed over the planning phase of FDRI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at the UK and Nordic Hydrometry Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gareth Old gave a presentation that described the scope of the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure. This informed the hydrometry community of the opportunity for this to enable priority science. It has initiated follow up discussion with SEPA. This will facilitate the planning and design of FDRI infrastructure in Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presented at UKCEH internal conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Provided an overview of the scope of the Floods and Droughts Infrastructure project and its potential to enable research. The presentation was used to inform staff and encourage their engagement. Since this presentation a number of additional UKCEH staff have joined the delivery team and others will become increasingly involved in the infrastructure design. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presented to the HydroNation Chair workshop (Scotland) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gareth Old gave an overview of the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure and its potential to enable the science needed by water companies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presented to the Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme (iCASP) Confluence 2022 conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gareth Old gave the following presentation at this conference: Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure: enabling the hydrological research community. This informed the community and explained how they can engage in next steps. It highlighted opportunities for the use of FDRI mobile infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Requirements and Rationale from FDRI Workshop 1 - Webinar March 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | FDRI Webinar: Requirements and Rationale - This webinar provides a 10 minute overview of the first workshop of the FDRI Scoping Project. It focused on identifying the community's infrastructure requirements and their rationale. Key findings are presented and next steps are described that include a second workshop that will consider and agree on priority infrastructure options. This has been circulated on social media and on the project webpage as well as a link sent out by Mailchimp to over 500 subscribers to the project communication database. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/floods-and-droughts-research-infrastructure-project-fdri |
| Description | The Flood Drought Research Infrastructure Scoping Study - Workshop 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop2, held to discuss and develop infrastructure proposals: At this workshop, facilitated by GameShift, the FDRI project team were joined by over 50 representatives from the stakeholder community. The day was organised with plenary and group work, to ensure that all opinions could be heard and captured. Participants contributed to discussions on "Observational Infrastructure" and "Digital Infrastructure", as summarised below: Observational infrastructure: Participants worked in groups, focussing on a pre- allocated theme with a flood or drought bias, to consider catchment infrastructure proposals. The scope of the theme, and its associated science challenges, were discussed before specific proposals for infrastructure were shared. Participants discussed the suitability of the proposed infrastructure (including consideration of required accuracy and transferability of observations) and provided feedback to the team on how it could be enhanced. Finally, the group considered potential locations for the infrastructure investment. Digital Infrastructure: In this session, participants reviewed proposals for different levels of investment in digital infrastructure. Break-out groups were encouraged to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each and identify opportunities and threats. They were also asked to identify those elements that should be prioritised or deemed less important, and suggest any new additions. Ideas from the break-out group were fed-back in plenary for all to hear. A closing poll confirmed the community's continuing enthusiasm and optimism for FDRI. Post workshop progress: The FDRI team have reviewed the proposed observational infrastructure since the workshop. The infrastructure has been organised into seven thematic modules (e.g. precipitation, river flow) and the associated capital- and staff-costs estimated. The workshop helped to prioritise elements of digital infrastructure and provided useful pointers on how some elements could be implemented. It reaffirmed that the approach being taken should deliver valuable outputs to the community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Three presentations at the British Hydrological Society Conference on the Floods and Droughts Infrastructure. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Three presentations were delivered to inform the research community of the scope of the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure investment. Presentations included: 1. Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (G.Old) 2.Hydrological data commons (M.Fry), and 3. Innovation in hydrology (W.Buytaert). Useful feedback followed each presentation and have informed planning activities. The information presented has also increased community engagement and has facilitated more focused follow up discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Web page published to inform community |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A webpage was published to inform the community of UKRI's intention to fund FDRI and to disseminate the Scoping phase report (June 2022). The webpage was updated to provide an update on the timeline for the planning, implementation and operation of FDRI (November 2022). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://www.ceh.ac.uk/fdri |
| Description | Workshop 1 - FDRI Scoping Study |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop 1 provided a consultative forum where community requirements were invited, synthesised and prioritised (i.e. consensus building). The workshop was a virtual full-day event, facilitated by GameShift consultants using Zoom and making use of its breakout room functionality as well as using software called Mural which enabled all participants to engage with conversations throughout the day, even if there wasn't time to hear all opinions within session time. As a result of the workshop we understood that there was clear enthusiasm and support among participants for the proposed investment in floods and droughts research infrastructure. Feedback was very positive. A closing poll (shared with the 56 attendees) indicated that, of 43 respondents, 65% indicated that their expectations for the workshop had been met or exceeded. This meant that participants thought they were able to demonstrate their support for the investment, highlight their requirements and learn from others (based on introductory Mural aspirations). It was also very rewarding for the team to receive a number of direct complementary messages from attendees. Many of the issues and themes raised will be addressed fully by the project team in advance of Workshop 2, at which we will seek community backing for the FDRI proposals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |