People

Johanna Dipple, M.Sc.

(Co-supervised by Dr. Jan Adamowski)

BA Environment and Development, McGill University, Canada; M.Sc. Bioresource Engineering, McGill University (2024).

Interests: participatory approaches, transboundary water issues, collaborative governance, community and citizen science,

MSc. Thesis:

DIGITAL TOOLS FOR WATER GOVERNANCE: REPOSITIONING INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN A DATA-TO-WISDOM FRAMEWORK IN THE GREAT LAKES BASIN

Abstract

Water governance in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin (GLB) is a model for successful transboundary governance and public engagement with environmental issues. Recent technological advances have facilitated the collection, storage, and processing of data, including a shift towards the provision of open and accessible data for public use. Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools have emerged as a mechanism to communicate scientific data to a non-specialized audience, including dashboards, interactive web maps, virtual simulations, and data viewers. While many platforms exist, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews of these platforms, and limited emphasis on data outcomes and accessibility for non-scientists. The current focus on data provision risks these platforms becoming ends in themselves, instead of encouraging data-driven decision-making.

This thesis examines the ICT tools within the GLB. Specifically, this thesis seeks to assess (1) What delivery of freshwater data is provided through online ICT tools in the GLB?, and (2) How do practitioners perceive the role of ICT tools in driving platform user decision-making?

This research applies a knowledge sciences framework – the Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) Hierarchy – to explore the process of knowledge creation and mobilization through ICT. Chapter 1 introduces the methodologies used in this thesis, namely systematic scoping reviews and key informant interviews. Chapter 2 provides the historical and contemporary context of water governance in the GLB, the framing of ICT tools and their relevance to open data accessibility, and the conceptual framework that guides the thesis. Chapter 3 is a systematic scoping review of ICT platforms relevant to GLB water quality and quantity. Chapter 4 is a study of open data platform practitioners, utilizing semi-structured key informant interviews to explore outcomes and challenges of these tools in practice. The results of this thesis include an adapted DIKW framework to aid in understanding Data mobilization in this context, and indicate that ICT tools are in a state of transition. Recommendations argue for a repositioning of the value of these platforms as supplements – rather than substitutes – to in-person initiatives, and suggest specific measures for shifting the focus of ICT platform usage from data provision to informing platform user decision-making.

Awards and Scholarships:

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Graduate Scholarship, Masters (2022-2024)

Graduate Excellence Scholarship (2022)

MacDonald Campus Graduate Students’ Society Travel Grant (2022)

Publications:

Medema W, Dipple J, Malard-Adam J, Adamowski J. (2024). The role of communities in integrated water resource management. Handbook on the Governance and Politics of Water Resources. Edited by Benson D, Fritsch O. Publishing house: Edward Elgar.

Clamen, M., Anderson, E., Dipple, J., & Adamowski, J. (2022). Reflections on the Adaptation of a Postgraduate Degree in Water Management from In-person to Remote Delivery. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, (176), 1-14.

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