D3.4: Perception, Acceptance and Use of Digital Solutions - Interim Version

The objective of the report is to identify enabling and hindering factors for the uptake of ICT solutions to water governance, through the analysis of the process of development and the introduction of three digital applications in three different contexts of water management.

This present document represents a preliminary version for the final deliverable 3.4 for WP3 to be delivered in M30. The report applies the structure proposed in the Guiding Protocol (Deliverable 3.1). Following this structure, the report first describes the general case context of Berlin, Paris and Milan before turning to the assessment of the digital water governance system in the three case studies. In a second step, the social context of the use of the digital solutions will be evaluated.

As such, collected findings in this report are still preliminary and, so far, not every hypothesis defined in the Guiding Protocol has been inquired thoroughly. Nevertheless, current research has reached good progress, reflected in the current status of this report. The first sets of stakeholders’ interviews and community of practices were conducted and allowed to delineate the structural configurations of water governance specific to the different case studies. They expose elements that might prove to be factors and conjunctions that affect – positively or negatively – the uptake of digital solutions and the coordination among involved actors.
The process of development of the three applications – ICT solutions – in Berlin, Milan and Paris proceeds in parallel to the sociological research on the respective systems of water governance. Thanks to regular communication and exchanges, digital solutions will be developed accordingly with the study cases’ own specificity, to ensure that, once finalized these will be effectively used by people and will thus support a digital and sustainable transition of the water systems.