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The Water Diplomacy Center at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) has concluded a highly successful training course on: "Water Information Processing, Management, Analysis and Decision Making". The course, held from September 22nd to September 26th, in collaboration with the Geneva Water Hub, a Centre of Competence on Water for Peace in Switzerland, brought together 24 participants from Blue Peace partner countries, including Lebanon, Turkiye, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Iran, This marks the fourth of 8 courses to be delivered as part of the Blue Peace Middle East Capacity Development Project, which is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the Water Diplomacy Center.

The Vice-President of the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Prof. Ahmad Al-Ajlouni, launched the opening ceremony on behalf of the president. The ceremony was attended by 80 local, regional, and international attendees.
In attendance at the opening was H.E. Eng. Jihad Al-Mahamid, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, H.E. Prof. Majed Abu Zreig, the President of Irbid National University, Dr. Natasha Carmi, the Water-Peace Programme Manager at Water Geneva Hub; Eng. Mufleh Al Alaween, the Regional Advisor for Water Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland to Jordan & Iraq, and Eng. Aseel AL Mkhaimer, the Head of Blue Peace ME Coordination Office; Dr. Hussein Ali Alkenani, the General Manager of the Center of Restoration of Iraqi Marshes & Wetlands; and Dr. Mahdi, the Managing Director of Iraq's Thirst Project.

The training course focused on empowering participants to utilize water data for effective decision-making. Participants learned about water data sources, collection methods, and quality considerations and gained techniques for analyzing data to identify trends and anomalies and integrate data into strategic planning.

Throughout the course, key speakers from international organizations and Jordanian institutions shared their expertise on various aspects of water data management. Dr. Natasha Carmi from the Geneva Water Hub emphasized the significance of hydropolitical assessments and the combined use of satellite data and ground verification for informed policy-making. Eng. Jihad Al-Mahamid from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation introduced groundwater flow modeling concepts and the importance of data quality and integrity.

Academic experts from the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Dr. Mamoun Gharaibeh, provided in-depth knowledge of the components, advanced technologies, and economic management strategies involved in developing and implementing comprehensive water information systems. Dr. Esraa Al Sharoa discussed the applications and tools of data science in the context of water management.

The course covered a wide range of statistical methods applicable to hydrological data, including time series analysis, trend detection, and frequency analysis of hydrological events. These topics were presented by Dr. Emad Karablieh from The University of Jordan.

Dr. Mohamad Najib Ibrahim from Tafila Technical University covered the fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its applications in water management.

Practical case studies, led by Eng. Jihad Al-Mahamid were presented to demonstrate the implementation of groundwater flow models and decision support systems, such as WEAP, in real-world scenarios.

The training course was successfully conducted at the GIS Laboratory within the Civil Engineering Department at JUST. Participants had the opportunity to explore the university campus and embark on a field trip to Ajloun.

The training course concluded with closing remarks, during which Prof. Ahmad Al-Ajlouni, the Vice-President of JUST, and Prof. Mutawakil Obeidat, the WDC Director, awarded certificates of appreciation to the course instructors, certificates of completion to the course participants, and certificates of appreciation to the Water Diplomacy Center's staff. Participants left the event equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize water data for sustainable water resource management and informed decision-making.