The Water Research Observatory (WRO) is a cloud-based data portal developed and maintained by South Africa's Water Research Commission (WRC). It serves as a central hub for water-related data, research outputs, and monitoring information, bringing together datasets from across the water sector to support big data analytics, evidence-based decision making, and the sustainable management of South Africa's water resources.
Explore thematic pages spanning hydrology, groundwater, water quality, biodiversity, flooding, drought, and more.
Search and explore datasets uploaded by the WRC and its partners. Free registration unlocks full functionality.
For various sources of weather data, please see our Climate and Weather page
Users are encouraged to register on the WRO data platform to discover, upload, and share water-related datasets. A User Guide is available for download. Please review our Terms and Conditions before uploading data.