Flood forecasting. Hydrological data acquisition. Modeling. The Information and Knowledge Management Programme is one of the key data acquisition and analysis services in the Lower Mekong Basin that thinks beyond national boundaries. The Programme’s transboundary lens on data analysis allows communities at one location on the river to better understand water trends accruing at another, even across borders.

The Programme not only acquires data, but performs quality assurance and makes it available to the public through the MRC website and the Data and Information Services Portal.

Through the MRC Information System (MRC-IS), the Programme provides ready access to environmental and socio-economic models and data in support of regional planning in the Mekong River Basin.

The MRC Knowledge Hub

The IKMP processes data from each MRC programme and provides assistance in quality control and management of this content. The data will be developed into reader-friendly content and make it publicly available.

The MRC Data and Information Services Portal supports information and knowledge management services. It provides access to quality-assured datasets from the MRC Master Catalogue. The portal is operated with the MekongInfo website, which provides a platform for sharing regional documents, news, and information on events.

Delivering up-to-date information to the region

IKMP’s hydrological network is vast. With 17 river monitoring stations throughout the Lower Mekong Basin and two in China, the Programme reliably provides daily hydrological information to the MRC during the flood season. Along the Mekong’s tributaries, IKMP works with 32 stations, equaling 49 stations in total that provides data every 15 minutes to national data centres and the MRC data terminal to better prepare communities in the event of floods and droughts. This information is accessible to the general public through the MRC portal.

In the dry season, IKMP uploads daily information in near-to-real-time information on descending water levels, which can be easily compared with the previous year’s levels. This helps people plan for crop irrigation, navigation accessibility and fisheries.

The Virtual Toolbox

Modeling is one of the MRC’s most valuable tools for predicting the impact of proposed hydropower schemes on the river, heavy rainfall, drought, and climate change.

The Programme has recently developed a state-of-the-art set of assessment tools known as the MRC Toolbox. The Toolbox includes a number of modelling tools that are used as inputs for analysis and projection of environmental and socio-economic impacts following changes in river system conditions. These innovative modeling tools include a hydrodynamic model, soil analysis model, water balance model, integrated water resources model and an erosion model.

The Decision Support Framework (DSF) is part of the Toolbox and serves as an important knowledge base for the LMB, containing historical and current information on of the Mekong’s environmental and socio-economic conditions.

The Programme plans to build national level capacities on how to best utilise the tool box so it can be adapted to real world projects.