As the first chief executive officer for the California Water Data Consortium, Tara Moran advances the organization’s goals of accessible and usable data for sustainable water management. Before taking her current role, Moran led the Sustainable Groundwater Program with Water in the West at Stanford University. Her research focuses on sustainable water management, including data collection, sharing and integration. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of data and information in water management decisions and the governance structures to support them. She was a founding partner for the Groundwater Exchange, where she remains a board member. Moran holds a first-class honors bachelor degree in environmental science and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Calgary, Canada. This Q&A interview was conducted via email and has been edited only lightly for style.
Techwire: You’re the first chief executive officer for the California Water Data Consortium, an entity in its infancy. What’s the Consortium’s general mission and vision? What are its goals?
Moran: Catalyzed by five years of historic drought, the California Legislature recognized that the state must integrate existing water and ecological data into an authoritative, open-access platform to help water managers operate California’s water systems more effectively and help water users make more informed decisions. Assembly Bill 1755 (AB 1755), the Open and Transparent Water Data Act, passed in 2016 and acknowledges the tremendous potential of California’s water data to support a resilient water future for all Californians.
To achieve the AB 1755 vision, state agencies recognized the importance of broad collaboration inside and outside of government. To help realize this goal, the agencies supported the creation of the California Water Data Consortium, a nonprofit organization with active state participation. The Water Data Consortium serves as a neutral space that facilitates collaboration and sustained engagement across public, private and nonprofit sectors to improve the data life cycle and increase access to high-quality, comprehensive and interoperable data to inform water decision-making.
Techwire: How can the relatively new use of water data influence state and local government decision- and policymaking in California? Is it a goal of the Consortium to influence water policy? Or do you avoid the politics of water and focus strictly on compiling usable metrics for those making the decisions?
Moran: Great question. The Consortium focuses on water data policy. The Consortium was specifically designed to serve as a neutral space to facilitate cross-sector conversations among water management agencies and organizations to jointly identify the areas of highest benefit related to water data and provide technical expertise to support their implementation. Our goal is to create a strong, data-related foundation to support water policy discussions beyond the scope of the Consortium.
Initial focus areas for the Consortium will be on streamlining data reporting requirements to state agencies and establishing venues for the development of data reporting standards.
Techwire: How does the Consortium measure its success? What are your metrics?
Moran: The goal for the Consortium is relatively simple. We want to ensure that a broad range of individuals and organizations understand and are able to realize the value of high quality, interoperable data for long-term water management decisions in California. Achieving this goal will require that the data systems developed are able to evolve and improve over time in response to user needs. Metrics of the Consortium’s success include:
- Diverse stakeholders recognize and use the Consortium for active and sustained collaboration around water data and related water management decisions.
- Open water data is more consistently used in critical water resource management decisions made by federal, state, and local government entities.
- Streamlined reporting processes are adopted and implemented.
- Open data practices and tools are fully integrated into the state’s water data systems and processes.
- The development of a long-term, sustainable funding model.
Moran: I love new technologies and analytical methods! I have built and developed models for water isotope analysis and other water applications; however, advanced methods, models and technologies rely on high-quality data for ground-truthing and calibration. Interoperable data lays the foundation for the integration of data and information across regions and sectors, and for the development of data analysis tools, visualizations, and models necessary for planning for a resilient water future, both here in California and beyond.
Techwire: Does the Consortium have a data center, or are you 100 percent cloud-based?
Moran: The Consortium is not a data repository. Rather, the Consortium will provide a shared governance space to support broad engagement, investment, adoption, and persistence of open data infrastructure. In California, responsibility and authority for publishing state data resides with state agencies. Pertinent water and ecological-related data is housed on two existing, state-hosted data platforms, data.ca.gov and data.cnra.ca.gov.
Techwire: Is the Consortium funded by the state of California?
Moran: No. The California Water Data Consortium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Articles of incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State on July 15, 2019. The Consortium does not have taxing authority, nor is it a regulatory body. It is funded through voluntary monetary and in-kind contributions by organizations and individuals who see the value in coordinating data collection efforts and streamlining water agency reporting requirements.
To date, we have received in-kind contributions from state agencies in the form of facilitation services, administrative assistance and communication support. We have also received financial contributions from the Water Foundation, irrigation districts and agricultural water districts in Kern County, Moulton Niguel Water District and Metropolitan Water District, who recognize the potential benefits of streamlined reporting and better statewide water resource planning. Donate to the Consortium here.
Techwire: Is there a cost for Consortium membership?
Moran: There is no membership fee to participate. Maximizing the value of open data requires engagement with the greater community of water data users. All interested stakeholders are welcome to participate according to their availability and interest; voluntary, in-kind contributions of time and talents are greatly appreciated.
Techwire: How can one become involved?
Moran: The Consortium provides multiple venues for ongoing engagement through its Steering Committee, Working Groups and public events. Learn more about upcoming events or other ways to engage with the Consortium by signing up for our listserv or checking out our calendar of events.
Techwire: Are there any opportunities for vendors on the horizon — hardware, software, consultancy or data research?
Moran: The Consortium does not have any RFPs on the horizon at this time. While that may change in the future, investments of time and expertise by interested individuals and companies are always welcomed and encouraged! As a bit of additional background, the Consortium is in its infancy and is currently in the process of seating its Steering Committee, which will in turn develop and oversee our Working Groups. Initially there will be two Working Groups: a Technical Working Group and a Data Users Working Group. There will be opportunities for everyone to participate in these groups to advance the use of and access to open and transparent water data in California.
Techwire: Can you tell us about your family, your hobbies, and what you read to stay abreast of the field?
Moran: I have a wonderfully supportive husband, two fantastic kiddos and a Zoombombing kitten. My hobbies are mountain biking, gardening and playing card games, in no particular order. I love reading, but never seem to have enough time in the day. Right now, I am reading Making Collaboration Work by Julia M. Wondolleck and Steven L. Yaffee.
