35 National Information Systems: Services and Products: ENVIS
M Natarajan
I. Objectives
After reading this module, you will be able to: Get acquainted with the role of environmental information in modern society:
• Understand the need for environmental information systems;
• Identify the nodes and objectives of ENVIS;
• Explain the role and responsibilities of ENVIS; and
• Highlight the present status of ENVIS in India.
II. Learning Outcomes
After studying this module, you will learn the role of environmental information in modern society and also the need and sources of environmental information system in libraries. You will also be able to identify the nodes and objectives of ENVIS; explain the role and responsibilities of ENVIS; and highlight the present status of ENVIS in India. You will study that environment is a broad-ranging, multi-disciplinary subject and a comprehensive information system on environment would necessarily involves effective participation of concerned institutions/organisations in the country that are actively engaged in work relating to different subject areas of environment. ENVIS has, therefore, developed itself with a network of such participating institutions/organisations for the programme to be meaningful.
III. Module Structure
1. Introduction
2. Defining Environmental Information
3. Environmental Information System in India
4. What is ENVIS?
4.1 ENVIS-Nodes
4.2 Responsibilities
5. Environmental Information System
5.1 Objectives of ENVIS
5.2 Classification of ENVIS Centres located in the Country
5.3 Present Status
5.4 Publications
5.5 Services Offered by ENVIS
5.6 Other Activities
6. A programme on environment management capacity building of the World Bank (ENVIS-EMCB)
7. An Information Sharing System in Environmental Economic
8. Examples of ENVIS Centres
8.1 Environmental Related Issues of Jharkhand
8.2 Environmental Information System in Tamil Nadu
8.2.1 Objectives
8.2.2 ENVIS Subject Areas
9. Indian State Level Basic Environmental Information Database (ISBEID)
10. Summary
11. References
1. Introduction
For our present and future well-being, maintenance of the natural environment is vital. Our atmosphere, landscapes, oceans, water and biodiversity play an important role in this regard. In order to manage this natural capital responsibly, governments, industry and the community need comprehensive, trusted and timely environmental information. Good information is essential for us to make sound decisions, individually and collectively, about the major issues affecting our natural assets. Improving the quality and coverage of India’s environmental information is being led by the Indian Government through the Ministry of Environment and Forests which is responsible for the Environment Information System (ENVIS), the national information system for Environmental Information. This initiative brings together all efforts in national environmental information, building and maintaining this critical information infrastructure for the future.
Efforts to make available environment information have been going on at international level too. The publication of Raachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” (Carson 1962) is considered be the starting point for the modern, late 20th century environmental movement. In this modern environmental movement, information and information systems play an intriguing role. In the years and decades that followed, environmental information and the computerised systems that store it – Environmental Information Systems (EIS) – continued to evolve and to grow outside the limelight. By the end of the decade the US Congress enacted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – another milestone in the history of environmental politics (McCormick 1995). The two main implementation vehicles established were an annual report on the state of the environment and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), both of which can be interpreted as information tools.
In this Module we bring you a brief overview of the Environment Information System (ENVIS), the national information system for Environmental Information.
2. Defining Environmental Information
‘Environmental Information’ means any information in written, visual, aural, electronic or any other material form on:
a. The state of elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites, biological diversity and its components, including genetically modified organisms and the interaction among these elements.
b. Factors such as substances, energy, noise and radiation and activities or measures, including administrative measures, environmental agreements, policies, plans and programmes, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment within the scope of subparagraph (a) above, and cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used in environmental decision-making.
c. The state of human health and safety, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures, in as much as they are or may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment or, through these elements, by the factors, activities or measures referred to in subparagraph (b) above.
3. Environmental Information System in India
The UN Conference on Environment in 1972, at Stockholm, warned the world about the forthcoming danger in the area of environment and also established the fact that environment and development are two sides of the same coin. The environment has become a global issue. Different disciplines of knowledge are now studying environment and its related issues. India, a large and old civilisation, has inherited a vast area with a variety of flora and fauna. It is one of the largest reservoirs of bio-diversity, along with other natural resources. To preserve and sustain such precious resources, scholars and missionaries are trying to understand the environment and its related issues. The information generated all over the world is very important for these scholars. There is a need to develop a network using the latest technologies and share the wealth of information. Various steps have been taken in this direction by the Government of India and by other institutions with the help of World Bank under its Environmental Management and Capacity Building Programme. At the Government level, the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India established Environmental Information Systems (ENVIS) centres across the subcontinent to act as communication bridges to reach out to the masses. The basic premise was to empower people through the powerful tool of information by evolving decentralized information paradigms and make them sensitive towards environment.
Realising the importance of Environmental Information, the Government of India, in December, 1982, established an Environmental Information System (ENVIS) as a plan programme. The focus of ENVIS since inception has been on providing environmental information to decision makers, policy planners, scientists and engineers, research workers, etc. all over the country. As environment is a broad-ranging, multi-disciplinary subject, a comprehensive information system on environment would necessarily involve effective participation of concerned institutions/organisations in the country that are actively engaged in work relating to different subject areas of environment. ENVIS has, therefore, developed itself with a network of such participating institutions/organisations for the programme to be meaningful. A large number of nodes, known as ENVIS Centres, have been established in the network to cover the broad subject areas of environment with a Focal Point in the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Both the Focal Point as well as the ENVIS Centres has been assigned various responsibilities to achieve the Long-term and Short-term objectives. For this purpose, various services have been introduced by the Focal Point.
4. What is ENVIS?
ENVIS is a decentralised system with a network of distributed subject oriented centres ensuring integration of national efforts in environmental information collection, collation, storage, retrieval and dissemination to all concerned. Presently the ENVIS network consists of Focal Point at the Ministry of Environment and Forests and ENVIS Centres setup in different organisations/establishments in the country in selected areas of environment. These Centres have been set up in the areas of pollution control, toxic chemicals, central and offshore ecology, environmentally sound and appropriate technology, bio-degradation of wastes and environment management, etc. ENVIS focal point ensures integration of national efforts in environmental information collection, collation, storage, retrieval and dissemination to all concerned.
4.1 ENVIS Nodes
To strengthen ENVIS in disseminating information pertaining to environment and sustainable development, ENVIS India is in the process of establishing Eighty Five ENVIS Nodes by involving Organizations, institutions, Universities and Government departments working in diverse areas of environment.
ENVIS India has already established 81 partner nodes, which include 30 government departments, 36 institutions and 15 NGOs. These nodes are supposed to create websites on specific environment related subject areas.
The responsibility of the ENVIS Centres and Nodes are:
• Establishment of linkages with all information sources, and creation of data bank on selected parameters in the subject area assigned,
• Identification of information gaps,
• Publication of newsletters and bulletins, and
• Development of library facilities and providing support to the focal point on the subject area.
Most importantly these centres serve as interface for the users on the assigned subject.
4.2 Responsibilities
Both the Focal Point as well as the ENVIS Centres have been assigned various responsibilities. The broad responsibilities of the Focal Point and ENVIS Centres are as under:
a. Focal Point
• Overall coordination of ENVIS network;
• Identification of ENVIS Centres in specialised areas, their location in selected institutes/organisations and their linkage with the Focal Point;
• farming guidelines and uniform designing procedures for ENVIS Centres;
• Collection, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information on areas in which ENVIS Centres have not been established and in some general areas of environment like environmental research, environmental policy and management, environmental legislation, environmental impact assessment, etc.;
• responding to user queries directly or through the ENVIS Centres;
• Establishment of Data Bank containing data on some selected parameters, and computerisation in important application areas of environment;
• Identification of data gaps and knowledge gaps in specified subject areas and action to fill these gaps;
• Liaison with relevant International Information Systems and other national information systems;
• Publication of a quarterly abstracting journal Paryavaran Abstracts;
• Bringing out various other publications on current awareness services;
• Organising training and seminars;
• Monitoring and reviewing of ENVIS; and
• Assisting the Scientific Advisory Committee of ENVIS with inputs and rendering other secretarial help.
b. Responsibilities of ENVIS Centres
• Building up a good collection of books, reports and journals in the particular subject area of environment;
• Establishment of linkages with all information sources in the particular subject area of environment;
• Responding to user queries;
• Establishment of a data bank on some selected parameters relating to the subject area;
• Coordination with the Focal Point for supplying relevant, adequate and timely information to the users;
• Helping the Focal Point in gradually build up an inventory of information material available at the Centre; identification of information gaps in the specified subject areas and action to fill these gaps; and
• Bringing out newsletters/publications in their subject area for wider dissemination.
5. Environmental Information System
ENVIS is a decentralized computerized network database system consisting of the focal point located in the Ministry and a chain of network partners, known as ENVIS Centres located in the potential organizations/institutions throughout the country. In order to develop ENVIS network as a comprehensive distributed environmental information network system, the ambit of ENVIS was extended to cover all the States/UTs of the country. The purpose of the ENVIS Centres is to cater to the needs of the people requiring environment related information, who do not have access to highly equipped libraries and network systems.
5.1 Objectives of ENVIS
The objectives of ENVIS are classified into two broad categories- long-term and short-term objectives.
The long-term objectives of ENVIS are as follows:
• To build up a repository and dissemination centre in Environmental Science and Engineering;
• To gear up the modern technologies of acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of environmental information; and
• To support and promote research, development and innovation in environment information technology.
The short-term objectives are as follows:
• To provide national environmental information service relevant to present needs and capable of development to meet the future needs of the users, originators, processors and disseminators of information;
• To build up storage, retrieval and dissemination capabilities with the ultimate objectives of disseminating information speedily to the users;
• To promote national and international co-operation and liaison for exchange of environment related information; and
• To promote exchange of information amongst the developing countries.
5.2 Classification of ENVIS Centres located in the Country
ENVIS is a decentralised network consisting of a focal point in the Ministry coordinating the activities of a chain of 67 subject-specific centres located in various prestigious institutions/organisations all over the country. As on March 25, 2014, these are:
| • Centres set up in State Government Departments | 27 |
| • Centres positioned in National Institutions/Organisations | 26 |
| • Centres located in Non-Governmental Organisations | 14 |
5.3 Present Status
Both the Focal Point and ENVIS Centres in their assigned subject-areas are developing the requisite databases on identified parameters in order to disseminate information concerning their subject-areas to the user concerned. Besides, the Centres are also developing their resources of information in the form of books, periodicals, dissertation, thesis and various other such documentary information package to collate the necessary information in their assigned subject-areas to develop the database and to disseminate it. The system as a whole, responds to more than 15000 such queries in a particular year. Besides, each ENVIS Centre also publishes newsletters, journals, abstracts, state of art reports, etc., as printed information package for dissemination as and when required to all concerned.
ENVIS Centres set up all over the country have been building up a vast collection of books, reports and journals in the particular subject area of specialisation pertaining to environment. Responding to user queries, development of data banks on some selected parameters relating to the subject area, initiation of action to fill these gaps and dissemination of information to the users is the most vital component in the whole system.
The ENVIS Focal Point has also developed a comprehensive interactive website for online coordination with all its network partners as well as dissemination of information to the users whenever required. In order to assist the State ENVIS Centres to produce the State of Environment report, the focal point of ENVIS has developed a comprehensive database with GIS interface known as Indian State Level Basic Environmental Information Database (ISBEID) on 17 modules in various subject areas of environment and its associated fields which are quite relevant to the State ENVIS Centres.
Based on the functions of the ENVIS, it has been designated as a National Focal Point (NFP) and a Regional Service Centre (RSC) of INFOTERRA of UNEP for the South Asia sub- region, a global environmental information network which stimulates and support exchange of information within and between the nations. Almost all member countries of United Nations are partners of this network.
5.4 Publications
The Focal Point publishes a quarterly newsletter known as ENVIRO NEWS of the Ministry disseminating information on policies amendment of rules and acts, international treaties and conventions, environmental clearances, etc. undertaken by the Ministry from time to time. A quarterly journal known as Paryavaran Abstracts reporting environmental research in Indian context is also published by the Focal Point of ENVIS.
5.5 Services Offered by ENVIS
The various services offered by ENVIS are:
• Query Answer Services
• Referral Services
• Abstracting Services
• Publication of Paryavaran Abstracts
• Documentation Services
• Publication of Annual Report
• Publication of ENVIRO NEWS
• Development of Databases
5.6 Other Activities
• The Ministry’s website has also been developed by ENVIS Focal Point and updated regularly to disseminate online information to all concerned.
• The Information and Facilitation Counter set up by the Ministry as per the directives of DOPT is also coordinated by ENVIS Focal Point.
• The Library of the Ministry which is one of the scientific libraries in the field of environment and having more than 250 national and international journals is also coordinated by the ENVIS for its development, resource management and creation of information resources.
• The functioning of the entire ENVIS network is monitored by regional workshops, national workshops and through a Scientific Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of Secretary (E&F) to evaluate and to provide necessary mid-term corrections and guidelines to ENVIS and its network partners to meet the objectives.
6. A programme on environment management capacity building of the World Bank (ENVIS-EMCB)
ENVIS (Environmental Information System) has started implementing the World Bank assisted Environment Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project (EMCBTAP) since January, 2002 which aims at structuring the ENVIS scheme by extending its reach through involvement of Institutions/Organizations in State Governments, academia sector, corporate sector, NGO sector, etc. The project also aims at broadening the ambit of ENVIS to include varying subject areas, themes, local conditions, issues, information/data needs of the country pertaining to environment and planned to be achieved through enlargement of participatory Organizations/Institutions, called EMCB-Nodes in various sectors and through introduction of modern means of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This programme is a continuation of the Sustainable Development Networking Programme: India (SDNP-India) programme, funded jointly by the UNDP and IDRC, Canada.
ENVIS maintains a close liaison with various national information systems like the Biotechnology Information System (BTIS) and several other similar networks for exchange of environmental information as well as to avoid duplication of efforts in the concerned fields. ENVIS also makes use of a large number of computerized databases developed by scientific institutions all over the country. In order to search the various databases both nationally and internationally, ENVIS has created a Web site, which could be browsed at http://www.nic.in/envfor/envis.
ENVIS Focal Point in the Ministry has been identified as an implementing agency for UNDP’s Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP). The SDNP has been initiated with financial support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada for a period of three years (1998-2001). The goal of the programme is to promote the process of sustainable development through organised accessibility to, and exchange of information among all concerned parties, viz. academic and research institutions, NGOs, government bodies and business establishments. The ENVIS Focal Point in the Ministry networks with ENVIS Centres located in various parts of the country. These Centres have been collecting, analysing and disseminating information on their specialised subject areas related to environment. It is important to note that both ENVIS and SDNP have to work together to avoid any duplication of efforts and set up a common goal which can be met by joint efforts of the ENVIS Focal Point in the Ministry and the SDNP Secretariat.
7. An information sharing system in environmental economic
In addition to the ENVIS networking, a model for resource sharing is being developed at Environmental Economic Unit of the Institute of Economic Growth. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, with financial support from the World Bank, is implementing the India Environment Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project. One important component of the programme is environmental economics. Environmental economics as a discipline studies the impact of economic activities on the environment and the implications of using environmental resources in economic activity. Number of issues, like, Pollution, bio-diversity, climatic change, etc. are being examined in different context, space and time by the economists and other social scientists, located all over the world. During the last few years a lot of information and knowledge has been created in the area of environmental economics. In order to understand the complications involved in environmental issues, it becomes imperative to share and disseminate the knowledge among the interested individuals and organisations. Modern Information Technology is helpful for this purpose.
8. Examples of ENVIS Centres
Presently the ENVIS network consists of Focal Point at the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and ENVIS Centres setup in different organizations/establishments in the country in selected areas of environment. These centres have created websites on specific environment related subject areas. Given below are two examples of ENVIS centres from two states of India.
8.1 Environmental Related Issues of Jharkhand
Environmental Information System-Jharkhand (www.jharenvis.nic.in/) is one of those ENVIS centres established to cover the status of environment and related issues for the State of Jharkhand. The responsibility of this ENVIS centre is establishment of linkages with all information sources, and creation of data bank on environment related issues of Jharkhand. The Centre is expected to identify the information gaps and try to mitigate them. Publication of newsletters and Bulletins and serving as nodal interface for users are also important responsibility of the ENVIS centre. The details can be seen from the following screenshot:
8.2 Environmental Information System in Tamil Nadu
The ENVIS Centre of the Department of Environment is functioning with the objective of providing information on State of Environment of Tamil Nadu. The focal point of ENVIS ensures integration of national efforts in environmental information collection, collation, storage, retrieval and dissemination to all concerned.
8.2.1 Objectives
• To provide national environmental information service relevant to present needs and capable of development to meet the future needs of the users, originators, processors and disseminators of information;
• To build up storage, retrieval and dissemination capabilities with the ultimate objectives of disseminating information speedily to the users;
• To promote, national and international cooperation and liaison for exchange of environment related information;
• To promote, support and assist education and personnel training programmes designed to enhance environmental information processing and utilisation capabilities;
• To promote exchange of information amongst developing countries.
The other details of the centre are in the snapshot below available at the website at http://www.tnenvis.nic.in/
8.2.2 ENVIS Subject Areas
There are 67 ENVIS Centres functioning all over India, they are categorized under various subject areas, such as air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, biodiversity, solid waste management, ecology and ecosystems, environmental education, environmental parliament, coastal ecosystem, clean technology, etc. Both the Focal Points and ENVIS Centres in their assigned subject-areas are developing the requisite databases on identified parameters in order to disseminate information concerning their subject-areas to the users concerned. In order to disseminate information online almost all the ENVIS Centres have developed their interactive databases in their assigned subject-areas for requisite dissemination. The ENVIS Focal Point has also developed a comprehensive interactive website for online coordination with all its network partners as well as dissemination of information to the users whenever required.
9. Indian State Level Basic Environmental Information Database (ISBEID)
In order to develop the databases on environment and its related parameters and to make it available online to the Ministry for to and fro information flow, a web enabled software, namely, Indian State Level Basic Environmental Information Database (ISBEID) was developed by ENVIS in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC). The objective for development of this software is to cover the gap in environmental data dissemination with regard to vast parameters such as air pollution, water pollution, forestry, land resources, flora and fauna, etc. In total there are 17 modules. ISBEID is thus web-based software made for the efficient management of spatial/no spatial information on various environment areas through interactive maps that are capable of handling various GIS operations. These modules were prepared with GIS interface in order to have the information up to district level, taluk / mandal level. The ISBEID prepared under ENVIS programme is exhaustive, reliable and authentic information in one umbrella and the availability of data on finger tips can help decision makers and planners to take decision by using this software.
Further details of ISBEID are at website – http://isbeid.gov.in/
10. Summary
Realising the importance of Environmental Information, the Government of India established an Environmental Information System (ENVIS). The focus of ENVIS since inception has been to provide environmental information to decision makers, policy planners, scientists and engineers, research workers, etc. all over the country.
As environment is a broad-ranging, multi-disciplinary subject, a comprehensive information system on environment would necessarily involves effective participation of concerned institutions/organisations in the country that are actively engaged in work relating to different subject areas of environment. ENVIS has, therefore, developed itself with a network of such participating institutions/organisations for the programme to be meaningful. A large number of nodes, known as ENVIS Centres, have been established in the network to cover the broad subject areas of environment with a Focal Point in the Ministry of Environment & Forests. Both the Focal Point as well as the ENVIS Centres have been assigned various responsibilities to achieve the long-term and short-term objectives. For this purpose, various services have been introduced by the Focal Point.
13. References
1. Annamalai R and others. Environmental Information Systems in Tamil Nadu.
2. Carson, R (1962). Silent Spring, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA.
3. Harjit Singh, Environmental Information System in India, in Kaul H.K., (Ed.) Library and Information Networking, NACLIN 99, Delnet, Delhi Library Network, 1999.
4. McCormick (1995). The Global environment movement. John Wiley & sons, Chichester, UK.
5. Kaul, Surekha, Information Technology and Resource Sharing: A Proposed Model for the Environmental Economics Unit of the Institute of Economic Growth, in Kaul, H.K.,(Ed.) Library and Information Networking,-NACLIN 99, Delnet, Delhi Library Network, 1999.
6. UN (1992a). Agenda 21, United Nations, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
7. UN (1992b). The Rio declaration on environment and development, United Nations, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.