Guide to Hydrological Practices, 6th edition, Volume II - Hydrology.nl

II.2-4GUIDE TO HYDROLOGICAL PRACTICESThe functions and activities of a HydrologicalService are not fixed in time, but change inresponse to the evolving needs and expectationsof society and according to technological developments.The management of a Hydrological Serviceshould continually monitor changes in its functionalenvironment and assess their implicationsfor the Service. For example, in recent years, theactivities of some Hydrological Services havechanged significantly in response to the followingdevelopments:(a) Recognition of the hydrological significanceof climate change, bringing about a newemphasis on drought monitoring,forecasting of extreme events and time-seriesanalysis;(b) The near-universal adoption of computerdatabase management systems, leading to thepublication of hydrological yearbooks anddissemination of hydrological data and productsin electronic form;(c) Cooperative agreements among the riparianStates in transboundary river basins;(d) Adoption of regional political agreements,with consequent changes and adaptations ofstandards, regulations and directives to whichparticipating countries must abide, such as theEuropean Union Water Framework Directive2000/60/EC (EC, 2000), which has broughtconsiderable change to Hydrological Servicesin both the European Union and potentialmember States.In the past, the fundamental activity of aHydrological Service was to design and operate abasic network of observing stations. This enabled anational assessment to be made of the country’swater resources, thus providing a basic set of data tomeet future needs for data at all locations and for awide range of purposes. This also called for thetechnical capacity to provide estimates at locationsfor which there were no field data at all.It is becoming difficult to sustain the concept of abasic national network in many countries. Insome countries, promotion of integrated waterresources management on a river basin basis,excellent though this concept may be, has led tomonitoring efforts being focused on particularapplications of data at the expense of nationalcoverage. Therefore, it is important to demonstratethe benefits of a comprehensive, integratedHydrological Service, in which broadly based datacollection is more economical, both in the operationof monitoring networks and datamanagement, as well as in the assessment of waterresources.A Hydrological Service may also engage in theprovision of private services. Examples include thefollowing:(a) Compulsory monitoring of incoming waterquality below a wastewater outfall for a factory;(b) Monitoring of reservoir inflows and powerstation outflows for a hydropower company;(c) Water-related data required for an environmentalimpact assessment for private use;(d) Provision of information for a private irrigationcompany;(e) Groundwater bore monitoring for a watersupply authority.These may require the establishment of specialpurpose networks or project networks (or individualstations) to meet specific client needs. The clientwould cover the cost and own the products, whichcould only be archived or disseminated upon theclient’s request. The management of a HydrologicalService should seek such opportunities. Specialprojects have many benefits for a HydrologicalService, including increased revenue, spreading ofoverhead costs across a wider range of clients,opportunity to develop new skills, heightenedprofile and support, and increased innovation. Thedata produced by these activities could also be integratedinto information generated from the basicnational network.2.2.6 Evaluation of products and services,and quality managementThe final stage in marketing is to obtain feedbackfrom clients on the products and services. There aremany ways of obtaining feedback. Perhaps thesimplest is a friendly telephone call a few days afterthe product has been delivered, to enquire whetherit has met expectations. More formally, clients maybe asked to complete a simple questionnaire.Possibly the ultimate evaluation tool is to arrange aclient satisfaction survey. Essentially, the aim ofsuch a survey is to determine the original expectationsof the client and measure the extent to whichsuch expectations have been met. One way ofensuring customer satisfaction is to establish a qualitymanagement framework guaranteeing thedevelopment of products according to precise,replicable and agreed procedures and standards.Defined standards are an essential basis for qualityassurance of a Hydrological Service’s products andservices. Increasingly, clients require knowledge ofthe standards that are being achieved by the Serviceto satisfy their clients. In general, standards may bespecified for the procedures that are used by theService, and for the attributes of the products that