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WATER EDUCATION AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTThese are related by the operating system software, and theprocessed data is used to inform a list of activities in differentsegments of the watershed territory. The stored and geoprocesseddata composes a set of information that can be used on differentscales for a range of regional planning activities. Thus, FOSS can beused to draw up plans for watershed conservation, to monitor theirphysical and financial execution, and then to monitor the results,facilitating the implementation of corrective measures to establisha cycle of continuous improvement. In relation to monitoring – acrucial matter in watershed planning – FOSS enables, organizes andfacilitates community involvement in effective programmes, suchas the monitoring of benthic macroinvertebrates and establishingthe microfauna of rivers, as indicators of the quality of their water.The programs developed in FOSS can be made available on the web,reducing storage costs and maintenance and universalizing access.Another important aspect is capacity building for the use of FOSS,both in developing the software and customizing it for a specific use.The International Centre on Hydroinformatics (CIH) has a good andfunctional infrastructure, and a team of young and dedicated professionalscommitted to the development of FOSS. The centre has alreadycustomized several GIS programs for communities with varied degreesof capacity to manage software. Training is a major concern, and CIHhas an available computer lab with the capacity to cater to groups of25 students. In addition to theoretical knowledge, students finish thecourse with almost-complete systems to apply in real situations in theirregions. The training is done by distance learning, using the web, asmost of the trainees are volunteers who only have their spare time toempower themselves. Collective rooms can be established with institutionssuch as churches, clubs and public buildings so that students canlearn in groups, which always produces good results.Based on this, CIH has been requested to cooperate with other countriesin Latin America, in the management of water resources and ofrenewable energy in microgeneration systems with management toolsbased on FOSS technologies. This offers decision makers, managers,planners, teachers and students the ability to identifyvarious human activities and their relationships witha water source within its own territories. In the case ofenergy sources, the tools are able to identify the relationshipsbetween available sources of renewable energy andpotential consumers in the same territory. Because themanagement tools are made in FOSS, they enable accesseven for managers who have little familiarity with GIS.Touched by the technological gap that separatesAfrica from the rest of the world, the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) has called on international experts inFOSS, creating a committee to suggest the best optionsto African coaches. A continent the size of Africa,living with the paradox of shortage in an abundance ofwater, food and energy, needs instruments that facilitatemanagement more than any other. The UNESCOInternational Hydrological Programme (IHP) Hydrofree and/or Open-source software Platform of Experts(HOPE) initiative aims to establish FOSS developmentand the dissemination of innovative practices in watermanagement. These can be built into the Africa WaterVision for 2025, helping prepare people to take onthe green jobs that will certainly be generated by aninitiative of this magnitude. CIH recently joined theUNESCO-IHP HOPE programme, in an initiative toprovide African countries with GIS tools in open sourcesoftware. This is an opportunity to offer to the Africancountries the same access to GIS that developed countriesenjoy. CIH is part of UNESCO’s Category 2 Centrenetwork, and is honoured to be assisting UNESCO inhelping African managers and technicians to observethe territories in which they live, and manage the waterresources they need.Image: CIHSharing FOSS development and innovative practices in water management can help prepare people to take on the green jobs that will begenerated by the UNESCO-IHP HOPE initiative[ 153 ]