Another Workshop Tour through the Mekong Delta has been accomplished last week (Dong Thap, An Giang, Ca Mau and Kien Giang). Subject of these workshops were advanced topics such as spatial data infrastructure principles and applying the WISDOM Information System as a data distribution tool in combination with an open source desktop GIS such as Quantum GIS to process geographic data derived through the WISDOM IS. All in all about 80 participants from DONRE, DART and DOST took part in the four workshops and were granted access to the WISDOM Information System.

SIWRR coordinated in close cooperation with the German WISDOM Partners a workshop on the WISDOM Information System in Can Tho on the 10th of January 2012. About 35 directors of the DONREs, DARDs and DOSTs of the 13 Mekong Delta Provinces were invited and participated. Purpose of this workshop was to review current functionalities, data content and performance of the WISDOM Information System and to discuss required priorities for the further technical development in order in increase the attractiveness of the Information System for daily routine usage in the provinces.

With a joint workshop held in Can Tho City from October 26^th to 28^th 2012, the Center for Development Research (ZEF), the Institute for Socio-economic Development Studies of Can Tho City (CIDS) and the Southern Institute for Sustainable Development (SISD) started a new collaborative research initiative that aims at exploring the interrelationship between small-scale enterprise (SSE) development, changing livelihoods and natural resources, in particular water in the project region.

From 4-7 October 2011, Mr. Vo Quoc Tuan, a researcher from WISDOM project participated in the Ecosystem Services: integrating Science and Practice conference hosted by Wageningen University in Wageningen, the Netherlands. The main aim of the conference was to provide a forum for researchers, practitioners and policy-makers to exchange information and ideas about new developments and pressing issues on the Science and Practice of Ecosystem Services (ES). At the conference, Mr. Tuan has discussed the topic of valuation of mangrove ecosystem services with Dr.

During the week from the 19th of September till the 23rd of September a Mekong Delta Capacity Building Tour took place to present the current state of the WISDOM Information System.  A joint German-Vietnamese team from three different partners organized and conducted the workshops in five different provinces in the Mekong Delta.

In Semptember 2011 Verena Klinger (DLR) and Martin Seiler (lat/lon GmbH) represented the WISDOM project in a metadata expert meeting which was held jointly with the MRC/IKMP in Phnom Penh.  The meeting was planned as a follow-up activity of the 'Workshop on Mekong Delta Coordination and Geo Data Standardization in the Water Sector' which was held in April 2011 on Phu Quoc. Discussions during that workshop showed a high potential for cooperation in the field of metadata exchange and the need for further strategic and technical discussions.

About 1,200 experts participated at the Singapore International Water Week from the 4th till the 8th of July 2011, which was themed "Sustainable Water Solutions for a Changing Urban Environment". About 350 oral and poster presentations were given on the impact on water by global population growth, increasing urbanisation and rising emerging economies. The focus at Singapore International Water Week 2011 went beyond urban water solutions and included climate change and management of watersheds and river basins.