The Modelling working group held joint discussion on the identification of models

The second meeting of the modelling working group was organized and welcomed by SYKE in Helsinki on 20-21 April 2023. The AICS Cairo Director and the CIHEAM Bari Scientific Coordinator chaired the meeting. The Members of the working group from SYKE, ISRIC, KALRO, and HELIOPOLIS UNIVERSITY attended the meeting in person, whereas representatives of WLRC and WRC attended the meeting online. After the selection of water best management practices (BMPs) done during the Multi-actor regional meeting in Nairobi (March 2023), the modelling experts of the WATDEV project decided to convene to discuss the models that best fit the target results and which will be included in the project research activity. The main objectives of the meeting were: i) Acquire a final list of selected Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan; ii) Discuss further the BMPs potential to address the challenges of the communities through modelling; iii) Examine the list of models provided by partners for a second-round selection based on field of application, vertical scale and boundary conditions; iv) Review with partners the model data requirement, collection and availability; v) Discuss model integration strategies and framework of applications. The list of models proposed by the partners prior to the meeting was presented and reviewed by participants, by taking into consideration WATDEV target domain of application, its scale, typology and interoperability. This phase is of particular relevance for the working group to guarantee a reliable tool which allows BMPs proofing. By reviewing the advantages (for example: minimum set of models, full-scale coverage, programming language interoperability, expertise in WATDEV partners) and the disadvantages (for example: need of separate GIS interface, need of high-quality data) of the different models, participants also discussed the required data typology and their availability in the study areas in Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Finally, the working group agreed to devote more time to joint in-depth discussion on model integration strategies and framework of application. This topic will be at the core of the third meeting of the modelling working group to be held on 9-10 October 2023, in Turin (Italy).

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