Water Information Standards
Under the Water Act 2007, the Bureau is required to disseminate water information to the community. To support this task, water information is given to the Bureau by more than 200 organisations across Australia.
Australian Water Information Standards
The Bureau is working with the water industry to collaboratively develop Water Accounting standards through the Water Accounting Standards Board and protocols for water data collection and transfer through the Standards Business Forum. In addition the Director of Meteorology can also issue National Water Information Standards as legislative instruments under the Water Act 2007.
The Bureau commissioned an industry needs analysis in 2010. The report National Water Information Standards Development—An Industry Needs Analysis (944KB) identifies the need for a highly collaborative and iterative approach to developing standards and the importance of linking information on standardised hydrometric procedures to water information products to assist product users to determine their fitness for purpose.
The Australian Government has funded Standards Projects through the Modernisation and Extension of Hydrologic Monitoring Systems Program administered by the Bureau.
International Standards
The Bureau is strongly involved in developing meteorological standards through the World Meteorological Organisation.
The Water Data Transfer Format is a rendering of the Observations and Measures Model developed under the Open Geospatial Consortium.
