Project:

Regional Water Data Banks - Hydrogeologic Databases

The USGS has conceptualized and implemented a variety of technical activities as part of the Regional Water Data Banks Project, a project of the Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources of the Middle East Peace Process. One of these activities is the Hydrogeologic Databases project. The project began in 2003 and includes an initial focus on GIS/geodatabase training, joint database design, and planning for a regional forum on hydrogeologic research and nomenclature. Project Task Teams have been identified for the initial tasks, and a timetable for project goals has been established. The project will assist participating Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian (Core Party) agencies to develop hydrogeologic databases to store, quality assure, analyze, and exchange geologic information related to ground-water resources of the region. Hydrogeologic databases will be established using comprehensive GIS software and existing and planned Core Party databases. Constructing a test regional hydrogeologic database using Core Party data will test database system design, standards, and structure. Parallel construction of Core Party databases will ensure that the Regional database standards are consistent with local needs. Capacity building will occur through training and technology transfer. The final activity within this project will be publication of high-quality hydrogeologic maps at a regional scale.