Water Wisdom: Developing Local-Global Capacities in Managing Water

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Water Wisdom: Developing Local-Global Capacities in Managing Water. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) proposes a program to engage postdoctoral investigators in interdisciplinary research to address information and decision making related to U.S. and international water and sanitation (WatSan) programs. This work builds capacity among postdoctoral researchers, creates interdisciplinary partnerships, and establishes a foundation for problem-based research. We propose four connected research activities to address the following problem: The systems in place to create, collect, consolidate, and transmit information to those who contribute to WatSan service provision are inadequate, resulting in failed physical and institutional systems, unmet policy goals, insufficient adoption and application of proven good practices, and a lack of a clear direction forward. These failures mean that millions of people, primarily children, die or suffer from preventable causes each year because of a lack of adequate WatSan services. This research takes the first steps in formulating a comprehensive understanding of how information is used by policy makers and practitioners in WatSan and will suggest opportunities where application of developments in information technology (IT) could lead to more effective and robust systems in both developing and developed nations. This research collaboration will involve units at UNC in the Gillings School of Global Public Health (Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Office of Global Health, Water Institute), the Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the College of Arts and Sciences (Department of Public Policy), as well as the Renaissance Computing Initiative (RENCI) and the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. The aims of the proposed program will 1. Create a team of postdoctoral researchers to address decision making, organizational behavior and information technology in water and sanitation. 2. Create research capacity for interdisciplinary postdoctoral researchers at UNC in global public health. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE:. The potential impact of Water Wisdom is high; policies and programs that are better informed by timely and objective evidence can result in dramatic improvement in the lives of millions of people currently unserved by adequate water or sanitation systems. Even a small impact on policy making has the potential for substantive global public health gains.