Introduction

The session was chaired by João Ribeiro da Costa, a Professor in Water Resources and GIS at the New University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Portugal. Mr. Ribeiro da Costa was invited to chair the session based on his experience in the Telematics field with water quality resource management and involvement in a European Union (EU) accession process not unlike that of Central and Eastern Europe. Portugal and Spain joined the EU in 1986 as one of its less well-developed regions, requiring considerable infrastructural investment and EU support, a parallel which can be drawn today with some of the prospective EU members from CEE. By bringing this experience to the discussion, Mr. Ribeiro da Costa was able to relate some of the problems experienced by his country, and raise questions and issues central to how these obstacles can be overcome. The session was co-chaired by Jerome Simpson of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and DETERMINE project manager.

Speaker Presentations

Susanna Azzali, rapporteur for the Environment Telematics for Water and Air Pollution Management (ENWAP), Expert Group of the ANIMATE project, ARTTIC, Belgium, briefly presented the activities of the ENWAP user forum. The objective of the forum is the exchange of information on developments and applications emerging from Environment Telematics (EN-TAP) and other related projects in air and water pollution management. Issues such as common user requirements, best-practices, transfer of know-how, and experiences are exchanged within the group which includes actors both from EU and CEE countries. Supporting this objective, two working documents on common user requirements and good practices are currently under elaboration and some preliminary results were presented (see attached presentation in the Appendix). Particular emphasis was given to the Good Practice document, consisting of a survey of EN-TAP and other related projects in the air and water pollution sector. The survey aims to identify particularly interesting and efficient telematics systems which could be applied in similar sites elsewhere in order to maximise the benefits of the research among the users. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the approach, the application site, objectives, technical profile, environmental requirements and the transferability of the product, the best and most cost-effective methods for dealing with environmental problems are presented with information on how the application might be successfully transferred to other similar sites across Europe and the CEE countries.

Ivelin Roussev, of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe briefly summarised the key constraints to the effective implementation and use of Telematics in CEE (see attached presentation in the Appendix). Among those constraints listed were institutional issues such as poor cooperation and privatisation of research institutions, inadequate infrastructure, lack of financing, and limited local experience and knowledge. As a solution to these problems, Mr. Roussev suggested increasing financial support, offering training and closer cooperation with the EU.

Gary McGrogan, Head of Environment and Regulatory Services at Sheffield City Council, presented his experiences within a multi-national project that looked to utilise Telematics in improving the management of, and raising awareness to local air quality problems. The main obstacles in his experience were local/regional bureaucracy, and the lack of proper infrastructure and equipment. Some of these problems can be overcome through improved public participation in the decisionmaking process, while improved awareness of environmental problems, and demand for better access to information could further serve as vehicles for driving the implementation of Telematics-like applications in CEE. Gary McGrogan's presentation is also included in the Appendix.

Kestutis Kvietkus, Head of Lithuania's Air Quality Management Department, has been involved in successfully upgrading Vilnius' air quality monitoring network to comply with EU standards. Using the Swedish AIRVIRO System, data is now disseminated in near real-time through the Internet. Kvietkus explained how these best-practice experiences could be successfully adapted to other large cities and regions with the minimum of investment. He also stressed the importance of cooperation in integrating monitoring activities at the municipal, regional and state level with similar activities within the EU. Kvietkus defined discrepancies between CEE and EU priorities as a main constraint to improving closer collaboration.

Elemer Szabo, Senior Officer within the Informatics Department at the Ministry of Environment, Hungary summarised the main constraints to the implementation of Telematics applications as being the standardisation of data quality and data collection at the local and national level. A lack of cooperation on a local and regional level is seen as a cause of this, which also results in the duplication of data gathering. Successful cooperation with the EEA/EIONET has helped to overcome some of these problems.

Ilia Natchkov, Deputy Team Leader of the Danube Environment Programme (EPDRB) relayed his experiences concerning the transboundary implementation of an international surface water quality monitoring, data collection and assessment system, and Accident Emergency Warning System (AEWS) across the Danubian countries. Describing constraints to the implementation of these programmes, Natchkov mentioned the issue of data accessibility and sharing of information, which should be optimised. Furthermore, he suggested a strategic approach through a common action plan and national support, as instruments to overcoming problems with the harmonisation of methodologies among stakeholders. Ensuring the sustainability of projects, new sources of financing, and securing the participation of younger generations are key future constraints which, according to Natchkov, could be overcome through the extended transfer of expertise at the international level.

Finally, Tonu Otsason, Chief of the Board of The Estonian Association of Telecottages in the small community of Palade on Hiiumaa Island, presented the successful establishment of a Telecottage network that provides local information services including environmental information. While illustrating the advantages of the network such as social mobilisation and improved access to environmental information, he stressed the major constraints were local bureaucracy, outdated legislation and the lack of technical expertise.

Floor and Panel Discussion Summary

Johannes Mayer of the Austrian Federal Environmental Agency, whose responsibilities include managing the environmental Internet web server for national environmental information, stressed the necessity to convince public authorities at all levels that better use of Telematics solutions and open electronic environments and the broad, liberal, and proactive provision of information to citizens would improve communication and cooperation. Recognising Neno Dimov's earlier presentation, he agreed that cooperation and dialogue among all levels of responsibility should became a priority. Underlying the importance of cost-free Internet access, he suggested the modification of European telecommunications services similar to the North American approach, in order to improve the competitiveness of European institutions and the widespread availability of environmental information.

Ivica Ruzic, Environmental Specialist at the Ruder Boscovic Institute, Center for Marine and Environmental Research in Croatia, and Chairman of its Information Working Group stated the dissemination of information to public in the form of raw data would require considerable effort. Raw data should rather be aggregated and presented in a form that is understandable and useful to the public. Ruzic inquired as to whether commercial benefit may be gained from the release of environmental data, based on the North American experience. This would serve as a source of financial support for research institutions.

Adrian Pascu, Senior Expert from the Office for European Integration Ministry of Research and Technology, further stressed the importance of the dissemination of information for public use as a vehicle for facilitating the implementation of Telematics applications. He outlined two types of constraints to this process, one being financial constraints, especially in the initial phase of implementing Telematics projects, and second, the lack of efficient telecommunication networks to disseminate information in the final phase.

Addressing the constraints associated with the decisionmaking process, (limited interest and support to TAP uptake), Zigmas Bigelis, Director of the Center for Information Technologies at the Joint Research Center, Ministry of Environmental Protection in Lithuania, referred to the then forthcoming Environment Ministerial conference in Aarhus, Denmark (which took place in late-June 1988) as an opportunity to influence the attitude of top officials and decisionmakers. He stressed a change in management procedures in order to secure administrative support for Telematics projects was required. In responding to Bigelis' remarks, Miroslav Spasojevic, Senior Counselor and Coordinator for International Cooperation at the Federal Ministry for Science, Development and Environment in Yugoslavia stated that in many cases decisionmakers have limited funds, and in his experience many of the objectives which Telematics applications target, can be achieved through other means. He stressed that proposals should be sound and justifiable, and that access to best-practice examples could serve as a useful tool to influence uptake among authorities.

Panel Reaction

Following Otsason's remarks, João Ribeiro da Costa summarised the discussion by referring to his experience and involvement with Portugal's EU accession process. Although similar to the problems in CEE, Portugal's accession was simplified through close cooperation with Spain. Highlighting the cooperation issue, he observed that a common goal such as accession to the EU can help facilitate partnership among CEE countries. Closer partnership between the EU and CEE is also desirable. Pertaining to the funding of Telematics projects, Mr. Ribeiro da Costa elaborated on the management of public money by decisionmakers which is expected by society to become more and more transparent. He indicated that all projects should have a sound economic basis as well as beneficial impact on the decisionmaking process. Telematics projects do have a viable economic impact and analysis should also be conducted in light of their financial viability. Addressing the issue of data quality and raw data availability, he reminded the floor that the end-user is the public, hence, raw data should be made available regardless of its complexity. Closing the discussion, João Ribeiro da Costa advised concentrating on the long term goals, best-practices and cooperation.

A number of other significant issues were raised by conference delegates prior to the meeting through their registration forms, which prompted participants to list key questions relating to the topic of discussion. These are listed as follows:

• The state of the telecommunications infrastructure (High Speed Data Networks) as a constraint the development of Telematics applications.
• Transferability of data to Internet and its subsequent dissemination.
• Environmental data processing. Access, dissemination, and quality assurance.
• Availability of technical support and 'spare parts' when equipment for Telematics applications becomes dated or worn.
• Integration of Telematics projects, compatibility between national and EU programmes.
• Concerning the implementation of Telematics projects in new locations, the identification and definition of problems, and presentation of solutions relying on previous experiences (good and bad practice guides).
• Emergency warning systems, problems with their implementation, and funding.

Appendix