General Information

Purpose & Aim

This meeting is to bring together the GWF Operations Team—consisting of GWF project PIs/ representatives, project managers, core team leads, Strategic Management and Oversight Committees, Young Professional executives, secretariat, and core Knowledge Mobilization, outreach, data management, and communications staff—together to review collective progress towards our goals, discuss the science directions and operations of the GWF program, and to plan special initiatives. The broad goals of the meeting are to:

Review our progress towards addressing GWF’s overarching goals and our contributions to international initiatives such as the UN International Water Action Decade: Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028;
Introduce new GWF projects under the Indigenous Communities Water Research funding stream, and review and establish best practices and approaches to working with Indigenous communities across the GWF program;
Review activities and progress in our core teams, and explore and discuss the linkages among these teams and among the GWF projects. Specific focus will be on integration of surface observations, remote sensing, and modelling; reviewing model products and their links to various projects; implementing a data management framework, improving data accessibility, and harmonizing protocols and standards across observatories; discussing computing infrastructure and services, the links to core modelling and data management, and possibilities for data visualization; and exploring the role of knowledge mobilization and communication in connecting this work and engaging internal and external audiences;
Explore possibilities to further internationalize GWF, including links to World Climate Research Programme and GEWEX, UNESCO and the UN at large, the World Meteorological Organization, and the Sustainable Water Futures Programme of Future Earth, as well as through new funding streams such as the Tri-Council’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF)

Please contact us at gwf.secretariat@usask.ca with any questions.

Meeting Summary

A short summary report on the 2019 Operations Team meeting is available below.

Summary Report View Photo Gallery

Posters and Presentations

GWF Core Team Plenaries

GWF and Indigenous Communities Water Research

Matawa Water Futures (MWF): Developing an Indigenous-informed Framework for Watershed Monitoring and Stewardship - Sarah Cockerton, Terry Mitchell
FIShNET (Fish & IndigenouS NorthErn healTh): Healthy Water, Healthy Fish, Healthy People - Virginia Sutherland, Brian Liard
Ohneganos – Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, Training and co-creation of mixed method tools - Lori Davis Hill, Beverly Jacobs, Dawn Martin-Hill, Christine Wekerle
Is our Water Good to Drink? Water-related practices, perceptions, and TK indicators for human health - Diane Giroux, Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Lalita Bharadwaj
We need more than just water: Assessing sediment limitation in a large freshwater delta - Gary Carriere, Tim Jardine
Water Knowledge Camps: Building Capacity for Cross-Cultural Water Knowledge, Research, and Environmental Monitoring - Leon Andrew, Jennifer Baltzer

GWF Young Professionals Program

GWF Young Professionals Program - Holly Annand

Observations, Sensors, Remote Sensing and Technical Teams

Best practices at an observatory: Wolf Creek, YT example - Sean Carey
International Opportunities for GWF - Robert Sandford

Meeting Agenda

The meeting took place over one and a half days and was held on the University of Saskatchewan campus, in the historic Convocation Hall of the Peter MacKinnon Building.

Download the complete meeting agenda as a pdf file

GWF Project Managers reception and discussion

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Saskatoon East - University, 1838 College Drive

6:00 – 7:30 PM	Reception for all project managers (and other GWF operations meeting attendees as they wish)
7:30 – 8:30 PM	Discussion session on GWF project management

GWF Operations Team Meeting

Convocation Hall, Peter Mackinnon Building, University of Saskatchewan

7:45 – 8:30 AM	Arrival, registration, and coffee

GWF Plenary Talks and Open House to the U of S and Stakeholder/Partner Communities chair: Chris DeBeer
8:30 - 8:40	Elder Roland Duquette	Opening Prayers
8:30 – 8:45	Peter Stoicheff	Welcome from the President of the University of Saskatchewan
	Jay Famiglietti	Welcome from the Director of the Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan
8:45 – 9:20	John Pomeroy	Meeting introduction, GWF overview, goals for the meeting (OPEN TO PUBLIC)
9:20 - 9:30	GWF video screening (OPEN TO PUBLIC)
9:30 – 9:50	Al Pietroniro	Forecasting and Modelling Team (OPEN TO PUBLIC)
9:50 – 10:10	Kevin Schneider	Computer Science Team (OPEN TO PUBLIC)
10:10 – 10:30	Kathryn Warden	Communications Team (OPEN TO PUBLIC)
10:30 – 12:00	Poster session and GWF open house: meet and discuss science with GWF researchers; snacks and coffee/tea. (OPEN TO PUBLIC)

12:00 – 1:20	Lunch (at the University Club) for GWF operations team meeting participants

GWF Core Team Plenaries (continued) chair: Phani Adapa

1:20 – 1:40	Amber Peterson	Data Management Team
1:40 – 2:00	Stephanie Merrill	Knowledge Mobilization Team
2:00 - 2:15	Karen Chad	Overview from the Chair of the GWF Oversight Committee and Vice President Research, University of Saskatchewan

Discussions Breakout discussions. Participants have been assigned into groups with a number on the back of your name badge. Visit the registration table if you do not have a number. Each group will discuss all topics following the schedule below, with a moderator to lead discussion and a rapporteur to summarize and report back for each group.

2:15 – 2:35	all	Forecasting and Modelling Discussion: What model products do we have/will we have? How do we access field data from the network of over 60 observatories in GWF to evaluate and improve our models? How do we integrate observations, remote sensing and modelling? How can the model products we are developing be used by projects and other core teams? How do these meet user needs?
2:35 – 3:05	all	Computer Science and Data Management Discussion: How can we archive our data to make it readily accessible through GWF? How do we create searchable databases for discovering and accessing data for modelling purposes and data analysis? How do we enhance collaboration for data sharing? How do we develop visualization tools and share data and research results with the user community and the public? How do we ensure long-term sustainability of the data?
3:05 – 3:35	rapporteurs	3-4 min summaries of discussions
3:35 - 4:05	Refreshment Break
4:05 -4:35	all	Knowledge Mobilization and Communications Discussion: How do we strategically address the challenges of governance, decision making and the science–policy interface in GWF? What specific activities, tools and resources would help researchers be successful in KM strategy implementation as we move into the late stages of Phase 1? Which activities, tools and resources have been most helpful to date? What are the best ways to support two-way dialogue with end users throughout the project to promote the exchange of ideas and information (i.e., workshops, webinars, conferences, newsletters, etc.)? How will we know if GWF research is having impact (i.e. how do we best document the impact of research on society and the economy?) How can we better coordinate interaction with our partners and stakeholders, given multiple points of contact and their interests across a range of research areas and results? What is currently missing from the GWF website? How can it be improved?
4:35 - 4:55	all	Core Teams Integrative Discussion: What is the role of knowledge mobilization and communication in connecting the work across projects and core teams and engaging internal and external audiences? How? How can GWF improve internal communications at the staff level between partner universities? How do we foster the links among all core teams and projects?
4:55 – 5:25	rapporteurs	3-4 min summaries of discussions

5:30	Busses to transport attendees to Boffins (departing from front doors of Administration building – 105 Administration Place))
5:30 – 6:15	Reception at Boffins (111 Research Dr #106)
6:15 – 7:30	Buffet Dinner at Boffins
7:30 – 9:00	Bonfire – @ Boffins (busses returning to hotel at 8:00, 8:30, and 9:00)

GWF Operations Team Meeting (Day-2)

Convocation Hall, Peter MacKinnon Building, University of Saskatchewan

GWF Topical Issues and Priorities

8:30 – 8:35	John Pomeroy	Welcome and day-2 introduction

GWF and Indigenous Communities Water Research (Chair and moderator: Stephanie Morningstar)

8:35 – 8:40	Sarah Cockerton, Terry Mitchell	Matawa Water Futures (MWF): Developing an Indigenous-informed Framework for Watershed Monitoring and Stewardship
8:40 – 8:45	Virginia Sutherland, Brian Liard	FIShNET (Fish & IndigenouS NorthErn healTh): Healthy Water, Healthy Fish, Healthy People
8:45 – 8:50	Lori Davis Hill, Beverly Jacobs, Dawn Martin-Hill, Christine Wekerle	Ohneganos – Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, Training and co-creation of mixed method tools
8:50 – 8:55	Diane Giroux, Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Lalita Bharadwaj	Is our Water Good to Drink? Water-related practices, perceptions, and TK indicators for human health
8:55 – 9:00	Gary Carriere, Tim Jardine	We need more than just water: Assessing sediment limitation in a large freshwater delta
9:00 – 9:05	Leon Andrew, Jennifer Baltzer	Water Knowledge Camps: Building Capacity for Cross-Cultural Water Knowledge, Research, and Environmental Monitoring
9:05 – 9:35	all	Open discussion on working with Indigenous communities and helping them address their needs Review principles, practices and approaches; exchange ideas, explore how we should best be addressing these issues.

GWF Young Professionals Program Chair: John Pomeroy
9:35 – 9:55	Holly Annand	GWF Young Professionals Program
9:55 – 10:00	all	Questions & discussion

10:00 – 10:30	Refreshment Break

Observations, Sensors, Remote Sensing and Technical Teams
10:30 – 10:45	Sean Carey	Best practices at an observatory: Wolf Creek, YT example
10:45 – 11:15	all	Discussion: What we want and need for at observatories: metadata; principal contacts; data collection, processing, storage, archiving, & publishing Best practices: hydro-met data; water quality; terrain info; Earth system model set up and application
GWF International Activities and Contributions
11:15 – 11:35	Robert Sandford	International Opportunities for GWF
11:35 – 12:05	All (John Pomeroy lead)	Discussion: How can projects link and contribute to various international initiatives? What can we do at the program-level? What are next steps? Scope for International workshop(s)? Tri-Council call for proposals on International research and how projects would map onto this
12:05 – 12:20	John Pomeroy	Closing remarks from the GWF Director & details on renewal process for funded GWF projects

12:20 – 1:40	Lunch (at University Club) and departure

1:45 – 3:00	Strategic Management Committee Meeting (at University Club, downstairs)

Discussion Outcomes

Rapporteur Reports

The first day of the meeting included focused and moderated breakaway discussions on a number of important topics (i. forecasting and modelling, ii. computer science and data management, iii. knowledge mobilization and communications, and iv. core teams integration), each with its own set of target questions. These were organized to identify gaps and to seek input on best practices that could be implemented to further strengthen the GWF research and networking activities.

The summary rapporteur reports from these discussions can be downloaded here.

Knowledge Mobilization Summary

There were a broad range of issues around knowledge mobilization that were discussed and possibilities that were suggested throughout the meeting.

The KM Team prepared a short summary report on KM outcomes from the meeting, which can be downloaded here.

Indigenous Communities Water Research Initiative

On the second day of the meeting, the six new projects funded under the Indigenous Communities Water Research Initiative of GWF briefly presented overviews of their projects. This was followed by a discussion period focused around the Indigenization of GWF’s research, working ethically with Indigenous communities, and fostering cultivation of Indigenous relationships and partnerships in research.

A report on the outcomes of this session prepared by Stephanie Morningstar is avaialble for download here.

Location, Lodging & Other Important Information

The Conference

The GWF 2nd Annual Operations Team Meeting will take place at Convocation Hall, University of Saskatchewan.

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Accommodations

Accommodations are available at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Saskatoon East – University, 1838 College Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 2Z8 and can be reserved when registering.