Hydroinformatics plays a leading role in bringing the water-based economy knowledge, to the people and thereby `changing the minds of the people', that is, their behaviour. Hydroinformaticians are beginning to learn what managers require, and that focus should shift from the use of technologies aimed at solving problems and presenting the corresponding results, to the development of new and more flexible technologies. These technologies should serve the needs of the user and support his/her decisions in an efficient and reliable way. It is recognised communication tools as Internet and the integration of technologies such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and water resource models have high potential in aiding decision makers with problems that have a spatial dimension. The Government of Zimbabwe has embarked on a major Reform of the Water Sector programme comprising of the Water Resources Management Strategy (WRMS), the revision of the Water Act and the formation of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA). Results obtained from interviews with Department of Water Resources staff showed a need for the use of information and communication technologies as an aid to decision makers at various levels. This provided an opportunity to fulfill the hydroinformatics given role. This report gives the results of a study that was aimed at providing (a) an overview of available information and communication technologies for use in the water sector, (b) investigating the information needs of the Department of Water Development and the proposed ZINWA, (c) specifying, designing and building a prototype of a water resources management system for the Zimbabwean situation using GIS, water resources modelling tools and intranet technologies. The prototype model focused on the Hydrological section of the Department of Water in the Ministry of Water Resources and Development of the Government of Zimbabwe, as there was limited time to produce a full prototype model. The results suggest that it is possible to integrate the technologies of GIS and decision support systems to aid decision makers. An integrated concept approach in a digital water resources management. information system based on relational databases, geographical information systems, spreadsheets, graphical interfaces and numerical models was developed. Thus a solution to the complexities of integrating separate technologies to derive powerful tools for addressing water resource planning and management problems has been provided. Communication tools such as Internet have been used to disseminate water-related information. One of the conclusions is that Hydroinformaticians should be more actively involved in arming the water-based economy knowledge by taking advantage of currently available technologies.
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