**3. Overview of Dataset Search Outcome**

As an outcome of the dataset search explained above, we retrieved information on 92 unique datasets referenced in 120 scientific works, which in the last 45 years contributed to the literature on water demand modelling and management. The complete catalogue of the datasets and publications reviewed in this study is publicly available at [50]. We have also stored it in a public GitHub repository where pull requests can be submitted, so that our dataset collection can be collaboratively updated as more datasets become available (the repository is accessible at https://github.com/AnnaDiMauro/WDDreview).

A general overview of the reviewed datasets (Figure 2) suggests that, first, the majority of the reviewed datasets contain water consumption data at high spatial resolutions (i.e., end use and household). Second, the temporal distribution of the reviewed publications (Figure 3) is skewed to the right, with a major increase of household and end use studies after 2010. This is likely due to the increasing development of smart meter technologies during the period 2011–2015 [8], following the pioneering studies and prototypes that first appeared in the 1990s (the first end use study reviewed dates back to the 1991–1995 interval in Figure 3).

Finally the worldwide geographical distribution of the reviewed publications (Figure 4) shows an uneven spatial distribution, with more than 50% of the reviewed studies located either in the USA or Europe: 28% USA, 25% EU, 17% Australia and New Zealand, 13% United Kingdom, 9% Asia, 6% Canada, 2% Africa.

A more detailed analysis on the distribution of the reviewed datasets across spatial and temporal scales, along with a critical analysis on their accessibility, are presented in the next sections.
