Utah Division of Water Rights: Technology Modernization Roadmap

The Utah Division of Water Rights (DWRi) is an agency of Utah State Government within the Department of Natural Resources that administers the measurement, appropriation, apportionment, and distribution of the state’s valuable water resources. DWRi collects and maintains records of water diversion from surface and underground sources, which are mainly included in water distribution systems within the state. The extensive data collection DWRi undertakes to enable management of Utah’s water resources and to meet its mandate requires significant information technology (IT) infrastructure. Data collection hardware (e.g., measurement structures and sensors installed in the field), software, and databases are needed to enable collection, management, and use of the data. While DWRi has developed and operates a water use data infrastructure for the state of Utah, some of the systems used by DWRi have become dated, lack necessary flexibility, and may not scale to meet DWRi’s growing data management needs. Furthermore, a recent Legislative Audit recommended that DWRi work toward use of best practices for data management to improve effectiveness, increase the availability and usability of DWRi’s data, and to more effectively monitor state water. To address these challenges and recommendations, in 2023 DWRi initiated a process to critically examine their existing data infrastructure and identify areas where modernization and enhancements are needed. That initial effort resulted in a \"Hydroinformatics and Technology Gap Analysis\" conducted by Utah State University that provided an in-depth examination of DWRi's current data and IT infrastructure, software systems, and processes. The Gap Analysis identified disparities between DWRi’s existing systems and capabilities and the organizational goals, industry standards, and improvements needed as identified by USU and DWRi personnel. This Technology Modernization Roadmap considers the gaps and recommendations developed through the Gap Analysis and lays out a sequenced plan, or roadmap, for software development and other activities that will help DWRi modernize and advance their data collection and management infrastructure to meet existing operational needs, along with evolving data collection and management requirements associated with new programs. This Roadmap lays out the foundations for implementing data management best practices to improve the usability of DWRi’s data, along with the transparency and accountability of DWRi’s operations for effective water management and planning in Utah for decades to come. To access the Technology Modernization Roadmap document, scroll to the \"Content\" section below, right click on the PDF document, and select download. You can also double click on the file to download. To access the Hydroinformatics and Technology Gap Analysis document on which this Roadmap document is based, scroll to the “Related Resources” section below and click the link to the gap analysis document. To learn more about Utah Division of Water Rights, visit: https://waterrights.utah.gov/犹他州水权局（Utah Division of Water Rights, DWRi）是隶属于犹他州政府自然资源部的机构，负责本州珍贵水资源的计量、划拨、分配与调配管理工作。DWRi收集并维护来自地表与地下水源的引水记录，此类记录主要纳入本州境内的水资源分配系统。该局开展的大规模数据采集工作，旨在支撑犹他州水资源管理并履行法定职责，这需要依托完备的信息技术（Information Technology, IT）基础设施。要实现数据的采集、管理与使用，需配备数据采集硬件（如野外部署的计量设施与传感器）、软件及数据库系统。尽管DWRi已为犹他州搭建并运维了用水数据基础设施，但该局使用的部分系统已然老旧，缺乏必要的灵活性，且无法适配其日益增长的数据管理需求。此外，近期的一项立法审计报告建议DWRi采用数据管理最佳实践，以提升工作效能、增强该局数据的可获取性与可用性，并更有效地开展全州水资源监测工作。为应对上述挑战与审计建议，DWRi于2023年启动了一项全面审查现有数据基础设施的工作，旨在确定亟需现代化改造与功能升级的领域。该初步工作由犹他州立大学开展，形成了一份《水信息学与技术差距分析报告》，对DWRi当前的数据与IT基础设施、软件系统及工作流程进行了深入审视。该差距分析报告明确了DWRi现有系统与能力，与犹他州立大学（Utah State University, USU）及DWRi工作人员所认定的组织目标、行业标准及必要改进方向之间的差距。 本《技术现代化路线图》吸纳了差距分析中识别出的各类差距与建议，制定了分阶段实施计划（即路线图），涵盖软件开发与其他相关活动，助力DWRi完成数据采集与管理基础设施的现代化升级，以满足当前的业务需求，同时适配伴随新增项目产生的、不断演变的数据采集与管理要求。本路线图为落实数据管理最佳实践奠定了基础，旨在提升DWRi数据的可用性，以及该局运营的透明度与问责性，为犹他州未来数十年的高效水资源管理与规划提供支撑。 如需获取本《技术现代化路线图》文档，请滚动至下方的“内容”板块，右键点击PDF文档并选择下载；也可双击该文件完成下载。如需获取本路线图所依托的《水信息学与技术差距分析报告》文档，请滚动至下方的“相关资源”板块，点击对应差距分析文档的链接即可。 欲了解更多关于犹他州水权局的信息，请访问：https://waterrights.utah.gov/