Executive Summary
Methodology and Representation
The survey is based on a representative sample of all environment authorities in the 15 EU member states. In comparison to the two CAPE central and east European surveys, the response rate to the EU survey on environment telematics is lower. Some 10% or 124 of the 1200 questionnaires sent out were answered. However, this is still a substantial number, considering the level of detail requested by the questionnaire, and has helped result in the best empirical data set currently available on the subject.Smaller countries tend to be under or over-represented. In terms of
overall context and number, this has only a marginal effect on survey representation.
There also appears to be no systematic bias in terms of geography, city
size or authority type. Overall, the survey can therefore be considered
reasonably representative allowing for indicative conclusions on major
trends in environment telematics-use to be drawn at the European level.
Throughout the report, qualifications are made to highlight any differences
between Northern/Southern European authorities, cities of different sizes
or members of European networks vs. non-networking authorities in the following
order of importance.
Geographic segments: Southern Europe (France, Spain; Portugal, Greece, Italy) and Northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria). City size segments: the first segment includes cities under 100,000 inhabitants and the second authorities between 100,000 and 250,000 inhabitants. The third segment comprises large towns with a population of at least 250,000. Cities being a member/non-member of at least one local authority network, such as Eurocities, Car Free cities, POLIS.
In order to ensure readability and also for methodology reasons,
results have not been differentiated on a country-by-country basis.
Factual Information on the Environment
A basic set of environmental indicators was requested to provide some limited factual information on the state of the environment in European cities and regions.The use of filtering installations among the main polluters (for example, industry) within EU cities is fairly high (indicated by the survey to be more than 60 percent). This holds particularly true for North European authorities. Nonetheless, insufficient air quality seems to be a major issue among many EU authorities. One quarter of the surveyed authorities indicated they experienced critical air quality incidents in 1998. The frequency of critical air quality levels is particularly high amongst larger authorities. These air quality problems seem to be mainly due to transport-related air pollution.
Within the majority of EU authorities, sewage treatment systems are in place. However, the level of sewage treatment systems is generally higher within North European authorities. Among 61 percent of North European authorities, more than 90 percent of households are connected to a sewage treatment system, whereas this is true for only 38 percent of authorities in the Southern European states.
Insufficient water quality does not seem to be a major problem among EU authorities. However, 11 percent still have experienced insufficient drinking water quality.
The overall amount of domestic waste in EU authorities has not changed
considerably over the last two years, whereas authorities from Southern
Europe have experienced an average increase of about 2 percent during 1996-97.
The rate of domestic waste which is landfilled is higher in South European
authorities (60 percent) than in Northern Europe (47 percent). The proportion
of domestic waste within EU authorities incinerated is about 16 percent,
while almost 18 percent of domestic waste is recycled or composted.
Key Problems and Policies
Waste-related problems (for example, "illegal waste dumping," "dealing with sludge from wastewater plants" and "rising levels of domestic waste") are undoubtedly perceived among the most important short-term problems. South European authorities in particular are facing problems in waste management.As with authorities from the central and east European countries, the most important long-term problems within the EU are traffic-related issues such as noise and air pollution. In contrast to short-term problems, the importance of long-term problems is generally rated higher by authorities in Northern Europe. It seems that North European authorities experience less pressing short term problems (or consider environmental problems need a greater amount of time to be solved).
Future environmental policy action of the surveyed EU authorities is expected to focus mainly on strategies for better traffic management. Other major future priorities include waste management and the protection of natural habitats.
Integrated Environmental Action Plans are far from being implemented
in all EU authorities. About 20 percent stated there are no formal policy
plans in force and half of the surveyed authorities have only implemented
sectoral plans for certain areas.
Impact and Relevance of Technology
Perceptions as to the major impacts of telematics use among EU authorities is quite similar to that of CEE authorities. Most of the decision-makers responding to this survey believe more intensive use of telematics will improve the quality of public services. Almost half of the surveyed authorities anticipate improving public awareness of environmental issues, decision-making processes and public participation through the use of telematics applications. However, the concrete problem-solving capacity of telematics for the most pressing problems is considered to be limited. Less than one third of the surveyed authorities expect telematics systems to significantly help improve waste management and only 19 percent believe telematics can reduce the negative effects of transport (i.e., the key problems).The role of telematics is therefore rather seen as a "general service improvement tool" rather than as a concrete problem-solving tool with significant impacts. This indicates a considerable lack of awareness of the potentials of telematics-based solutions to environmental problems among public sector decision- makers (and indicates the crucial role of experience exchange through projects such as CAPE).
Authorities from Southern Europe generally see higher potential in telematics
use for solving environmental problems.
Expected Benefits and Obstacles in Using Telematics Technologies
In addition to the lack of financial resources, which is by far the most important obstacle to further telematics uptake among EU authorities, other major obstacles are seen in a lack of up-to-date information on how to apply telematics technologies and in insufficient political support.Among the other cited obstacles, the need for training staff in the use of modern technologies needs to be improved, since more than half of the respondents stated they are only familiar with some basic concepts or have limited or no knowledge of environmental technologies.
Support to employees in learning how to use new technologies is limited
among most EU authorities. The majority of the surveyed authorities pointed
out either little or no training is available or employees can only receive
some basic training.
Internal Use of Telematics Systems
Environmental data availability among EU authorities has already reached high levels in many areas. Data on "main pollutants of drinking water," "meteorological conditions," and the "main pollutants of air" is considered to be sufficiently available among 60 to 70 percent of the surveyed authorities. However, the availability of data related to "traffic noise," "non-point sources of pollution," "traffic flows" and "hazardous waste deposits" still seems to be low.The highest priority for the future provision of environment-related data is seen in the areas of air pollution" and "energy consumption."
The implementation of environmental data handling technologies is diverse among EU authorities; in many these are only partly implemented or work on a trial basis. Visualisation of data in maps and graphics as well as integrated electronic databases are at least partly implemented by more than 70 percent of the surveyed EU authorities and around 60 percent already are experienced with data exchange networks between different institutions.
Environment telematics applications are not yet commonly employed among EU authorities as indicated by the survey. Current deployment levels are at their highest in the areas of "waste management" and in the "modelling of ambient air quality." But telematics support is particularly low in areas such as: "tracking and tracing of dangerous goods transports," "integration of air quality and traffic management," "decision support systems" and "risk and emergency management." The use of telematics systems is generally more widespread among North European authorities.
The highest priority for implementing telematics systems in the future is seen to be in the area of "waste management" (by some 41 percent), especially in the Southern European states (53 percent).
Among most self-governing authorities, e-mail systems have already been
installed. GIS is used by more than 75 percent of authorities. The use
of these technologies is expected to further increase within the coming
years. The current implementation of advanced technologies such as "high
speed multi-media networks," "expert systems/artificial intelligence" or
"satellite image processing/remote sensing" remains very limited.
Delivery of Information and Public Services
In terms of public information dissemination, areas such as"key local air pollutants" and "general information to improve environmental awareness" seem to be most comprehensively covered. At least 70 percent of the surveyed authorities indicated they provide this information to the public (via any "medium.") Information on air quality forecasts and noise pollution levels is only provided by about 40 percent of the surveyed authorities.Generally, environmental decision-makers highly appreciate making use of the Internet for information provision. In more than two thirds of the surveyed EU authorities, Internet websites are maintained and another 27 percent intend to set up websites in the near future. More than 40 percent indicated they offer environmental information services via the Internet.
Public access information kiosks are operated by about one third of
the surveyed authorities, or by 57 percent of all large authorities over
250,000 inhabitants. One in every five authorities use information kiosks
to deliver environment-related information. The importance of these kiosks
will rise in the future, particularly in large cities.
Interactive services via Internet are available according to 38 percent
of the surveyed authorities and facilities such as public-access kiosks
or terminals, which allow for interactive dialogue between citizen and
administrations are found in 17 percent of the authorities.
However, many authorities within the EU indicated concern for the delivery
of environmental information electronically. For instance, more than half
of the surveyed authorities are worried about the user friendliness of
services and the complexity of environmental information.
Future Interests
With regard to seminars and conferences, future interests focus mainly on "environmentally friendly traffic management", this being the application mentioned most often. Other areas of high interest for future telematics use are "managing contaminated land sites" and "domestic waste management." In general, large cities (of more than 250,000 inhabitants) are more interested in learning about telematics applications than smaller cities.In terms of technologies, public information systems and Geographic Information Systems attract the highest interest among EU authorities. For "data exchange," "decision support systems" and "advanced modelling and simulation techniques" more than 60 percent of authorities indicated an interest in receiving further information.
Non-technical interests focus on "raising public awareness for the environment" and "environmental impact assessment."
4 See Annex II for details.
5 Members of networks, such as POLIS, Car Free
Cities, Eurocities, Telecities etc. are represented by about 25% of the
questionnaires in the survey sample.
6 In CEEC authorities also waste management
issues were identified as the most acute environmental problems.
7 The same is true for CEE authorities.
8 This should however not be interpreted as
a statement on the quality of information or ease of access.
Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
