Abstract
The site has been developed in order to offer a permanent publishing platform for high-quality free content that might not otherwise find an outlet. With a focus on repurposing out-of-print content and archiving grey literature, the WaterWiki is able to provide a collection of free eBooks of particular interest to users from developing countries and offer an online publishing solution for authors of content in non-traditional formats such as poster presentations.
Our ongoing aim is to bring together all the high-quality water sector material that is currently available online, in or out of print and at events, and to encourage knowledge brokerage within our community of users. Here is an outline of what you can expect to find on our site:
After completing a short registration process,(1) you will be able to join a community of over 4,000 water professionals and take full advantage of the WaterWiki’s information resources and networking functions:
The WaterWiki Articles(2) section currently hosts over 1,200 articles, case studies and presentations on all aspects of water research. As with Wikipedia, content can be edited or uploaded by all registered users.
Submitted content is reviewed for quality control by the WaterWiki Editorial Group.(3) The Editorial Group features leading names in the water sector, so submitting an article to the WaterWiki is an excellent way to have your work seen by the experts in the field!
All content is tagged by subject, making it easy to navigate to the material that interests you by clicking on the Article tag cloud in order to filter the list by subject. Once you’ve found an interesting article, the site will automatically suggest related content in the right-hand column. This feature updates every time you reload the page so you will get new suggestions every time you visit.
Events Extra(4) is an archive of over 800 conference documents, providing the ideal publishing outlet for poster presentations and other forms of grey literature that may not otherwise find a suitable permanent platform. Just like in the Articles section, any registered user can upload materials.
The site currently hosts PowerPoint and poster presentations from 50 conferences including the 2013 IWA Development Congress,(5) Amsterdam International Water Week(6) and the 2014 IWA Water, Energy and Climate Conference.(7)
Materials from IWA conferences are tagged with the event name, meaning that you can access the material that interests you with just one click.
Group Spaces(8) can be public or private and offer the ideal online solution for group communication and networking. The spaces can be used to share documents, hold discussions or even host virtual meetings. Group leaders can control who has access to content while all members can communicate simultaneously without the need for mass e-mailing.
The WaterWiki Blog(9) is updated weekly and features site news, interviews with IWA authors and introductory pieces by IWA journal contributors as well as guest posts by members of the site community.
We are always accepting new guest blog posts so please do contact the Community Manager(10) if you wish to submit a piece.
Our Hot Topic Competitions(11) invite users to contribute content on a particular theme or subject area. All entrants receive a 15 per cent discount on IWA publications, with the best entry, chosen by our expert reviewer, winning £100 worth of books.
The WaterWiki Resources Listing(12) is a who-does-what listing of active institutions within the water sector. This section of the site is regularly updated with information and contact details from various organizations including UNESCO-IHE,(13) the World Bank,(14) the KWR Watercycle Research Institute(15) and the Global Water Partnership.(16)
We have recently developed this section to also include a directory of national water associations.(17) This section is currently being expanded using contributions from national water associations in countries including Albania,(18) Japan,(19) Switzerland(20) and the United States.(21)
Footnotes
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