Business context
A single, comprehensive and integrated water information source has been proposed to serve proposed to serve water users across the Murray-Darling Basin. In September 2019, the then Minister for Water Resources promised an online information source would be developed and delivered in the following 3 years to support the implementation of the 2012 Murray Darling Basin Plan.
This digital information source is expected to provide:
-Data on water supply, reserves and trading (allocation and pricing) information for water users in the basin, provided in “near real time” (in practice, updated daily/every 24 hours), and publicly available (no need for account or login details to access it).
Other projects and initiatives which have a bearing on this project are:
- A Northern Basin Water Information Portal, also to be delivered by end of 2022. It is expected this project will be merged with the NRT portal of this project (adding southern basin water information to create a single information source).
- An Interim Single Water Information Portal (ISWIP), to be delivered within 12 months (e.g. approx. June 2021), that will most likely be a simple directory listing of related online water resources and information.
- Water Markets Management Research commissioned by the MDBA, will be ready to be shared by the end of July 2020. Two planned rounds of showcases (by online meetings and conferences) will provide this project with an opportunity to engage relevant stakeholders to discover and define in more detail the exact information needs and necessary delivery experience for this NRT portal.
Problem statement
How might we design an online water information source that provides clear, direct and up-to-date data about Murray-Darling Basin water for the area’s resident communities and customers, to help them best monitor and manage their water use?
Research method and key activities
Discovery research, paired with prototype testing
- Water portal prototype (based on assumptions)
- Prototype showcase with key stakeholders
- Discovery prototype Password: NRTWR
Design exploration
- Prototype test sessions with end-users
- Concept design prototype version 1 Password: MDBWIP
- Iterate on design
- Concept design prototype version 2 Password: MDBWIP
- Hi-fi prototype to hand-over for development
Plan data integration and feature backlog
- Prioritise and estimate data integration effort
- Develop prototype further
- Plan out further research, if required
Project deliverables
- Report on customer engagement
- Prototype validation
- Prototype refinements
- Customer satisfaction ratings meet required minimum benchmark
- Refined indicative design, rendered as high-fidelity visual concepts
Project timeline
Start: August 2020
From discovery research to development
