Currently the hub showcases 21 data sets, including aquifer surveys, summary reports, county population projects, coastal leases and drillers reports.
The idea for the hub came in 2018 after the TWDB hosted a "Connecting Texas Water Data" workshop. Participants expressed the need for water data access, resulting in the platform.
In 2019, the 86th Legislature funded two positions to enhance the agency’s flood web tools and to begin identifying and connecting existing, publicly available sources of water data across the state as part of an exceptional item request.
The following year, work began on the hub and continued through 2022 until the TWDB released a beta version of the platform in January 2023.
According to Sam Marie Hermitte, assistant deputy executive administrator of water science and conservation for TWDB, developing the hub was not entirely smooth.
“We’ve had a few missteps as log fences and other obstacles have popped up along our path, but we learn from those slips and get back on the trail each time,” Hermitte stated in an Internet of Water Coalition blog post.
Specific challenges the agency faced included not having a project manager or programmer from the start, as well as hiring and turnover issues.
“While our small-but-mighty team has passionately supported and advanced the project from its outset, not having a specific person dedicated to coordinating design, development and data efforts proved challenging at turns,” Hermitte wrote.
Almost the same could be said for programming.
“Our project’s reality was that we couldn’t build out our design, data and development teams at the same time, so we started with data and design,” Hermitte stated. “It likely comes as no surprise that it’s not always easy to hire and retain talented technical developers at state salary rates.”
Challenges aside, Hermitte shared the following advice for those looking to launch a similar project:
- Establish a project work plan first.
- Team alignment is central to project success.
- A robust foundation of user research provides strong project footing, allowing for confidence and flexibility in decision-making.
- Clarity around decision-making moves the project forward.
- Diverse expertise and meaningful collaboration fuel the project.
So what’s next?
First on TWDB’s to-do list is growing its founding group of data producers and finding funding for a communications and outreach plan. Second is focusing on scheduling, task execution and work prioritization. Third is reviewing user feedback and soliciting input to incorporate new ideas and perspectives into the project’s mission and vision.
Last is building partnerships.
“The success of the Texas Water Data Hub is contingent on partnerships. We can build the best darn back end and slickest interface around, but if we don’t have willing partners who want to jump into this thing with us, the project will just be collecting whatever the Internet equivalent of mothballs is,” Hermitte wrote. “We don’t have legislation compelling anyone to jump onto the track with us, so we are 100 percent driven by voluntary partnerships.”
