The 2024 edition, Water for Prosperity and Peace, calls attention to the complex and interlinked relationships between sustainable water management, prosperity and peace, describing how progress in one dimension can have positive, often essential, repercussions on the others.
GWP China Executive Secretary, Prof. Yunzhong JIANG, is leading the Chinese Executive Summary of the WWDR 2024. And GWP China team works on the translation of the full report later this year.
After the releasing the status of the world's water resources, the WWDR 2024 gives analysis on thematic perspectives and regional perspectives. The response options include 'governance', 'technology', 'education' and 'financing'. For the first time, "Aritificial Intelligence (AI)" is cued in the report for it has been proposed to help address challenges across WASH systems, water use in agriculture and industry, and water resources management.
Rich in academtic research and application of digital technologies and AI tools in water, Prof. JIANG said: "In recent years, the Ministry of Water Resources of China has issued a series of planning and guiding documents that can promote the construction of 'smart water' and 'digital twin water', and nagivate water industry into digital transformation. The policies catalyse proportion of the financing support to digital water development, increasing from around 1% to over 2%."
Emerging technologies, such as' big data ',' Internet of Things', 'cloud computing', etc., are promoting the informationization and AI implementation in water, strengthening the efficiency and reliability of water facilities, and providing more convenient services for water management departments. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still in the research and development stage of supporting application scenarios, this technology has broad application prospects in fields such as 'hydrological automation measurement and reporting', 'watershed water simulation and prediction', 'water engineering safety analysis and scientific scheduling', 'water administration intelligent management applications', and 'water information intelligent service applications'.