The UN Environment GEMS/Water Data Centre was established within the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre hosted by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG, by its acronym in German) in Koblenz. Its objectives include collecting, controlling and providing water quality monitoring data and products for regional and global water quality assessments. The Data Centre maintains the global water quality database and information system GEMStat. Data for GEMStat is received from GEMS/Water's global network of National Focal Points. These are government institutions and agencies with the official mandate to monitor freshwater quality data in their countries.
Data related activities of GEMS/Water include:
- Collecting water quality monitoring data: The Data Centre compiles environmental water quality data from the GEMS/Water Global Network of governmental and collaborating organisations covering more than 80 countries.
- Controlling and assuring data quality: A global dictionary of Analytical Methods for Environmental Water Quality (AMD) and state-of-the-art checks ensure the provision of quality-controlled datasets and derived products.
Visualising and analysing data: A web-based information system gives access to statistical and graphical analysis of the data at single sampling sites, aggregated by countries and catchment.
Harmonising and standardising monitoring data exchange: The Data Centre supports the development and implementation of open, standardised exchange formats for monitoring data and metadata to improve the exchange of data at national and international levels.
Enhancing data discoverability and accessibility: The Centre works towards enchancing the availability and accessibility of GEMStat data and products by integrating them into existing global environmental information systems (Environment Live, GEOSS).
The GEMS/Water Data Centre, coordinated by the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change and hosted by the Federal Institute of Hydrology in Koblenz, Germany, maintains GEMStat.
