Technology Adoption at Public Agencies: Identifying Challenges and Building Opportunities to Modernize Public Water Data Infrastructure

Modernizing public agency water data infrastructure depends not only on technology adoption, but also on an organizational and cultural evolution in how data are managed, shared, and deployed for decision-making. The Duke Internet of Water (IoW) Technology Adoption Program (TAP) was designed to address both aspects of water data modernization for public agencies. The program includes introduction to and training on available technologies, as well as close engagement with public agency staff and leadership to facilitate the organizational transformation needed to adopt modern approaches to data collection and dissemination.

This report details efforts by the Duke IoW team to identify the challenges public agencies face when modernizing their water data infrastructure and recommends a roadmap for technology adoption at public agencies based on nationwide surveys and interviews, best practices identified by public interest technologists, and the modern data principles. The report also includes a pilot case study from the New Mexico Water Data Initiative and additional resources for public agencies to pursue their own water data initiatives.