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The IWSIMS pilot develops an integrated data management system to help Fiji’s Department of Water and Sewerage strengthen water-sector monitoring, regulatory compliance and decision-making. Designed as a modular system rather than a one-off solution, the architecture can also be adapted to other government departments and contexts across the Pacific.
Facts
- Project type PfW Subsidy Project
- Country Fiji
- Partners Akvo Foundation; Fiji Department of Water and Sewerage (DWS)
- Themes Water management · Data management · Water quality · Digital innovation
- Duration 6 January 2025 – 31 December 2026
- SDGs SDG 6 · SDG 11
Turning fragmented data into better decisions
Fiji’s Department of Water and Sewerage (DWS) faces a fundamental challenge: the data it needs to manage the country’s water and sanitation sector is fragmented across different systems. This makes it harder to allocate water resources efficiently, monitor water quality, meet regulatory requirements and make timely, data-driven decisions.
At the same time, Fiji is vulnerable to climate-related water challenges, increasing the need for reliable information and resilient water management. The challenge is not simply to collect more data, but to bring existing and new information together to support day-to-day decisions and longer-term planning. DWS has identified IWSIMS as a way to strengthen planning and data-driven governance across the sector.
The objectives
The project pilots an Integrated Water and Sewerage Information Management System (IWSIMS) tailored to the needs of DWS. It brings fragmented water and sanitation data together in one platform, making information more accessible for monitoring and decision-making.
The pilot aims to strengthen water quality monitoring, improve regulatory compliance and support more effective oversight of water and sanitation infrastructure. It also seeks to demonstrate a reusable modular architecture that can be adapted to different institutions, potentially reducing development costs and supporting long-term technical sustainability.
The approach
Rather than building a new platform from the ground up, Akvo and DWS have jointly designed and developed a modular information management system adapted to Fiji’s regulatory and operational context.
The system includes mobile registration and monitoring workflows for five priority infrastructure areas: ecological purification systems, rural water supply schemes, water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants and wastewater pumping stations. DWS staff have tested and used the system, allowing workflows and functionality to be refined based on practical experience.
The project is in the final phase of implementation, testing and transition. Current work focuses on completing dashboards using departmental data, preserving and migrating relevant historical datasets, completing staff training and preparing hosting and institutional transition arrangements for continued use after the pilot.
We have developed a modular architecture that can be configured around different government mandates and data needs. For Pacific Island governments, this creates an opportunity to build on a common technical foundation while retaining ownership of their own data, workflows and institutional processes.
From Fiji to a wider Pacific application
The architecture developed through the Partners for Water-supported pilot can be configured around different government mandates, workflows and data requirements without building an entirely new system for each institution.
The same foundation has already been adapted for the Ministry of Health’s Outer Islands Health division in the Federated States of Micronesia, with expansion to other divisions planned. Another government pilot is being prepared with the Commerce Division of the Department of Resources and Development in Pohnpei State.
These applications indicate its potential beyond both Fiji and the water sector, offering a shared technical foundation for structured data collection, monitoring and decision support while allowing institutions to retain control over their data and processes.
The team
The project brings together Akvo’s digital expertise with the institutional and sector knowledge of Fiji’s Department of Water and Sewerage.
- Akvo Foundation leads the development and adaptation of the modular IWSIMS architecture and supports data management, monitoring and digital workflows.
- Fiji Department of Water and Sewerage (DWS) works with Akvo to develop, test and implement IWSIMS and integrate it into its monitoring and decision-making processes.
Expected outcomes
- An operational IWSIMS platform tailored to the needs of DWS.
- Mobile registration and monitoring workflows for five priority infrastructure areas.
- More accessible, structured data and dashboards for regulatory monitoring and planning.
- DWS staff trained to use and manage the system, with relevant historical data preserved and migrated.
- Hosting and institutional transition arrangements supporting continued use after the pilot.
- A reusable modular architecture for other government departments and Pacific Island contexts.
Why it matters
The Fiji pilot illustrates how governments can improve water-sector oversight through integrated digital tools while building systems they can manage and adapt themselves. Early applications in Micronesia suggest that the approach could support other Pacific Island institutions with different mandates, without each having to start from scratch.
Innovation in Progress series
IWSIM features in Partners for Water’s ongoing Innovation in Progress series. Throughout this series, Partners for Water closely follows a selection of projects that have received a Partners for Water subsidy, from start to finish. Over the coming years, these projects will take you with them on their journey of testing the feasibility or application of innovative solutions to enhance water security abroad – including their processes, collaborations with local partners, potential solutions, and the struggles, challenges and lessons learned along the way.
