INFOOS
The Polish
Environmental Information and Communication System
- Technological and
Organisational Aspects
of the Implementation of a System to Support Poland
in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process
Markus Weidenbach[1]
and Piotr Wezyk[2]
The INFOOS system was
developed in 2002/2003 as part of an EU PHARE Twinning project. The project was
designed to assist Poland in meeting EU requirements for EIA (Environmental
Impact Assessment) and SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment), prior to
Poland’s entry into the EU.
The INFOOS system
was designed to support EIA and SEA processes, using modern computer and
communications technologies. The system’s primary functions
are:
·
The centralised
collection and management of the information required in the performance of an
EU‑compliant EIA/SEA, and
·
The facilitation
of communication between all parties involved in an EIA/SEA (government
officials, developers, the general public…)
To meet these requirements, 4 system modules
were developed:
1. a
reporting module that helps to manage EIA/SEA data in a standardised
way
2. an
assistance module that guides officials in the decision-making
process
3. an
archive module that stores the various documents, laws, guidelines, etc. of
relevance, and allows them to be searched
4. a
communication module that includes a chat room, a newsletter, a discussion forum
and a list of relevant e.mail addresses
On the server side, the latest Internet
technologies (e.g., an XML database, various script languages) were used to
control the data exchange. On the client side, a simple Internet connection and
a standard web browser are sufficient to use the system.
When introducing
any new system, one must pay attention not only to technological factors, but
also to legal and human factors. One of the key lessons learned during the
development of INFOOS was that even the finest of technologies are of limited
use when they are not used as planned.
A beta version of
INFOOS can be tested at http://landconsult.de/eia
.
[1] Dr. Markus Weidenbach, landConsult.de, Geographical Information
Management and
Environmental Planning, Am Lohmuehlebach 54, D-72275
Alpirsbach.
E-mail: markus.weidenbach@landConsult.de
[2] Dr.
Piotr. Wezyk, Department of Forest Ecology,
Faculty of Forestry
Agricultural University of Cracow, Al.29 Listopada 46,
31-425 Krakow.
E-mail: rlwezyk@cyf-kr.edu.pl