Engaging the Earth Science and Engineering Communities in Developing A River Morphology Information System (RIMORPHIS)

Abstract

River morphology data are critical for understanding and studying river processes and for managing rivers for multiple socio-economic uses. While such data have been extensively acquired, several issues hinder their use such as data accessibility, various data formats, lack of data models for storage, and lack of processing tools to assemble data in products readily usable for research, management, and education. A multi-university research team has prototyped a web-based river morphology information system (RIMORPHIS) for hosting and creating new information (e.g., terrain and material composition data) and data processing tools for the broader earth science communities. The RIMORPHIS design principles include: (i) broad access via a publicly and freely available platform-independent system; (ii) flexibility in handling existing and future data types; (iii) user-friendly and interactive interfaces; and (iv) interoperability and scalability to ensure platform sustainability. Developing such an ambitious community resource is only possible and impactful by continuously engaging stakeholders from the project inception. This paper highlights the research team's strategy and activities to engage with river morphology data producers and potential users from academia, research, and practice. The paper also details outcomes of stakeholder engagement and illustrates how these interactions are positively shaping RIMORPHIS development and its path to long-term sustainability.