title: A cloud based tool for knowledge exchange on local scale flood risk.
abstract: There is an emerging and urgent need for new approaches for the management of environmental challenges such as flood hazard in the broad context of sustainability. This requires a new way of working which bridges disciplines and organisations, and that breaks down science-culture boundaries. With this, there is growing recognition that the appropriate involvement of local communities in catchment management decisions can result in multiple benefits. However, new tools are required to connect organisations and communities. The growth of cloud based technologies offers a novel way to facilitate this process of exchange of information in environmental science and management; however, stakeholders need to be engaged with as part of the development process from the beginning rather than being presented with a final product at the end. Here we present the development of a pilot Local Environmental Virtual Observatory Flooding Tool. The aim was to develop a cloud based learning platform for stakeholders, bringing together fragmented data, models and visualisation tools that will enable these stakeholders to make scientifically informed environmental management decisions at the local scale. It has been developed by engaging with different stakeholder groups in three catchment case studies in the UK and a panel of national experts in relevant topic areas. However, these case study catchments are typical of many northern latitude catchments. The tool was designed to communicate flood risk in locally impacted communities whilst engaging with landowners/farmers about the risk of runoff from the farmed landscape. It has been developed iteratively to reflect the needs, interests and capabilities of a wide range of stakeholders. The pilot tool combines cloud based services, local catchment datasets, a hydrological model and bespoke visualisation tools to explore real time hydrometric data and the impact of flood risk caused by future land use changes. The novel aspects of the pilot tool are; the co-evolution of tools on a cloud based platform with stakeholders, policy and scientists; encouraging different science disciplines to work together; a wealth of information that is accessible and understandable to a range of stakeholders; and provides a framework for how to approach the development of such a cloud based tool in the future. Above all, stakeholders saw the tool and the potential of cloud technologies as an effective means to taking a whole systems approach to solving environmental issues. This sense of community ownership is essential in order to facilitate future appropriate and acceptable land use management decisions to be co-developed by local catchment communities. The development processes and the resulting pilot tool could be applied to local catchments globally to facilitate bottom up catchment management approaches.
authors.affiliation: James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mark.wilkinson@hutton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom; Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mackay
authors.affiliation: School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stutter
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom; Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Beven
authors.affiliation: James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: C J A
authors.initials: CJA
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom; Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Macklin
authors.affiliation: School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Elkhatib
authors.affiliation: Reading e-Science Centre, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Percy
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitolo
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Haygarth
mesh_terms: D055868:Floods; D020407:Internet; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012306:Risk; D012984:Software; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Cloud computing; Flooding; Local EVOp Flooding Tool (LEFT); Rural land management; Stakeholder engagement