Good Practices in
Environmental Management Systems
Environmental Management Systems
for the Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources
Information Society Technologies?
Decision-makers, both public and private, and society at large are becoming part of a growing society of information
users. As a result, they are increasingly becoming dependent on information and telecommunication technologies.
"Information Society Technologies" (ISTs) are those tools that support the management and transfer of information, its
access and availability to a wide range of users, and that help contribute to informed decision-making.
ISTs and Environmental Management
ISTs are now being used to support decision-making in environmental management. Decision-support and geographic
information systems, for instance, help store, manage and present meaningful environmental data. They also monitor and
collect state of the environment data, and predict and minimise the impact of threats and emergencies.
The Internet and public information kiosks might also be termed ISTs and are increasingly being relied upon to enhance access to useful environmental information. By enabling the public to participate in the decision-making process, they also help strengthen civil society.
Overall by supporting compliance with policy and legislation, and saving time and resources, ISTs help improve the state of the environment and quality of life, in turn helping to implement the principle of sustainable development.
The Telematics Applications Programme
Within the European Union's Telematics Applications Programme (1994-1998), several such technologies have been
researched, developed and implemented in the environmental field. These include:
- air and water quality management systems;
- public environmental information services;
- emergency warning tools;
- decision-support systems; and
- applications supporting data compatibility.
Detailing those technologies that could be fully or partially applied in similar sites elsewhere, the report includes an abstract, summary of project objectives, outlines target users and domains, and details application sites and technical requirements, costs, obstacles and results for each IST application surveyed. The guide's Executive Summary has been translated into five central European languages (including Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian and Russian) and is available as a separate brochure.
Profiles for every application included within the guide are also now available as part of the IST Environment Virtual Gallery
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
