During a workshop organized in 2017 in the frame of EMWIS data management platform, it was considered that key elements for effective national water data governance are:
- 	Confirming high-level political commitment to enhance cross-sectoral coordination, data sharing and joint information production for better water management. This political willingness is a key element to implement the governance structure necessary for developing and managing a water information system;
- 	Positioning the importance of a water information system for efficient water management within the national water legislative framework, including sectoral coordination and definition of responsibilities with regard to cooperation and information sharing;
- 	Formalizing the governance mechanism with a multi-stakeholder agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding or a regulatory text;
- 	Ensuring broad agreement and commitment from all stakeholders by looking for win-win solutions at all stages of development as well as in the operation of the system;
- 	Defining a multi-level governance structure, including strategic coordination, technical coordination and operational coordination from national to local level;
-	Ensuring human and financial resources for the operation of the governance mechanism and the implementation of the water information system.
The strategic governance body is usually chaired by the minister in charge of water and brings together all ministries and agencies concerned by the water sector (environment, health, agriculture, industry, housing, finance, international cooperation), including representatives of river basin committees. It is responsible for:
-	Defining priorities for the development of the WIS in order to respond to policy challenges;
- 	Ensuring that the WIS is integrated into and contributes to cross-sectoral policy frameworks, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy, administrative modernization, open public data, etc.;
- 	Initiating when necessary new regulations enabling further development of the WIS, such as financing regulations; revising the role and competencies of public agencies to avoid overlaps while ensuring data production and sharing;
- 	Reviewing WIS implementation progress and operation of the WIS 
The technical governance body is chaired by the institution formally responsible for the water information system. It includes the technical department of the different ministries and agencies involved as well as scientific and research institutions and river basin agencies or regional entities in charge of water management. It is in charge of:
- 	Ensuring communication among all stakeholders, including the user community;
- 	Ensuring that the needs of all stakeholders are sufficiently addressed;
- 	Setting up and running thematic working groups in charge of developing data exchange standards, reference data frameworks, guidance documents, and terms of references for the implementation of the system;
-	Supervising WIS implementation and monitoring progress;
-Coordinating reporting to the strategic governance body;
-Operating the Water Information System and validating its results.
The local or river basin coordination body is usually chaired by the river basin organization or a regional entity in charge of water resources. It has the key role of data collection on the field and defining local operational needs in relation to water resources management as well as sectoral needs from local communities, e.g. agricultural sector, municipalities, industry, environment, transport, etc.