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Quickstart and Support Options

Getting Started

Start by reading the Water Hub Terms of Use

To learn how to navigate the site, refer to the Quick Start Guide or the User Manual

Office Hours

Do you have questions for the Water Hub Team? Would you like to contribute data or collaborate with us? Use the button below to book a conversation with one of our Water Hub experts.

Using the data on the water hub

Metadata

Data is contributed to the Water Hub by many different sources. Please refer to the metadata that accompanies each Dataset and Resource before using the data, as this may contain information that is critical to understanding how the data was collected or how it may be reused.

Licencing

Data on the Water Hub may be shared under one of the following licences:

Please refer to the licence in each dataset's metadata before using the data, and ensure that your use of the data complies with the terms of the licence, and the Water Hub Terms of Use.

Water Hub QA/QC

The Water Hub team conducts a preliminary Quality Assurance and Quality Control protocol on all data that is shared publicly. We assign a Water Hub Data Grade to each resource, according to the Water Hub QA/QC and Grading System. For numerical data, we may flag any values that are outside of an expected range. However, it is the responsibility of the user to confirm the accuracy of the data and whether it will be appropriate for their purpose. Please refer to the Water Hub Terms of Use, and the Data Disclaimers included in the metadata for each Dataset and Resource.

Contributing to the water hub

The process for contribution

Data can be submitted by community-based monitoring groups, by municipal, regional or Indigenous governments, Indigenous Knowledge holders, the private sector, or academia. Data can also be linked to existing databases. This provides an excellent platform for those who have collected data to share their work, allowing it to be accessed and used for decision making. The data can be stored for future generations to access.

The Water Hub's platform supports data governance, allowing users to add, modify or remove their own data at any time, and determine whether their data is available publicly, or only to designated individuals. Data sharing agreements are customizable, allowing contributors to determine how they would like their data to be shared.

Our database team is available to assist with every step of the process, and has created templates and resources to make the process simple. If your organisation is interested in sharing data or resources with the Water Hub, please send us an email or book a meeting with our team.

Types of information

The Columbia Basin Water Hub welcomes a diverse range of water knowledge contributors. The CBWH offers a platform that can host a dynamic array of information, from storytelling to historical information. LLC recognizes that local Knowledge Holders, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, have intimate knowledge of water, such as hydrological changes, changes in wildlife frequency, vegetation changes, and other aspects of water monitoring for the added resilience of future generations during the era of climate change.

“Data” is not limited to spreadsheets of numerical data. Our database can also display reports, photos, videos, spatial files, information related to place-based Indigenous knowledge systems, external links and more. Sensitive cultural data can be respectfully excluded or only accessible to designated users.

Webinars and Videos

Why Care About Water Data Series (Summer 2021)

In 2021, we hosted the Why Care About Water Data webinar series, to highlight the importance ofwater data in the Columbia Basin and beyond. Recordings of the webinars are available below:

How To Videos and Tutorials

Instructional videos coming soon!

External Databases

The Water Hub aims to provide links to data available from other databases, but cannot guarantee that all water data pertinent to the Columbia Basin will be available through our site. Below you can find other data sources for federal, provincial, and other kinds of databases. Please contact us if you have any recommendations for this list.

Federal Databases:

Provincial Databases:

Other Databases:

Additional Resources

Provincial Water Data Standards

The Province of British Columbia has developed standard methods for data sampling and analysis. While it is not necessary for data included on the Water Hub to meet these standards, they are a good reference for organisations wanting to develop monitoring procedures. Below you can find links to the standards documents provided by the Province.

Water Quantity: Manual of British Columbia Hydrometric Standards

Water Quality: Continuous Water-Quality Sampling Programs: Operating Procedures

Other Resources