UK: £38m Floods & Droughts Research Infrastructure Design

The UK is investing in the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) — a £38 million programme building new observatories, data platforms, and research support tools to transform how we understand intensifying water extremes.

We conducted a multiple methods study to assess user priorities: what different stakeholders most need from FDRI, and how the next generation of these infrastructures can deliver the greatest value.

The study recommends that FDRI supports (1) user-led data collection, (2) fosters collaborative user communities, and (3) adopts iterative user-centred design to ensure infrastructures deliver sustained value.

Title page of a research paper titled 'User priorities for hydrological monitoring infrastructures supporting research and innovation'. It includes the authors' names and affiliations, the journal's logo (EGU Sphere), and an abstract discussing the importance of data availability, quality, and access in hydrogeological research.

Citizen Science in the Floods & Droughts Research Infrastructure

I supervised Cara Fogarty’s study, mapping hydro-ecological citizen science in a UK catchment and highlighting opportunities for FDRI to integrate volunteers data into monitoring and research networks.

The study has a wider relevance, demonstrating a simple method for equivalent infrastructures to identify citizen science projects, potential synergies and opportunities for support.

Diagram showing the connections between river catchment stakeholders, ecological and water quality data, operational barriers, and citizen science activities related to river management and research support.

Questions? Get in touch.

williamaveness@gmail.com

London, United Kingdom

Close-up of a blue text reading 'IMPORTANT' on a black background.