Motivation for an IT framework architecture for the implementation of the european water framework directive

The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is not only an ambitious task from the thematic point of view, but also from the perspective of the required support by information technology (IT). While the WFD itself does not include concrete IT recommendations, e.g., for data storage, exchange, map or report formats, regional and/or national environmental agencies have to build or adapt their information systems now in order to deliver the results for the first WFD reporting phase in time. Moreover, as the WFD requires a water management policy based around natural river basin districts instead of administrative and political borders and demands co-ordinated "programmes of measures", the agencies have to coordinate their work and combine their results with other agencies, possibly across national borders. On this background, the present article motivates the need to develop an IT Framework Architecture for the WFD implementation.