European CZM and the GSDI Initiative
549
UNEP AND CORE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA.
Much of the work of UNEP is now focused on global climatic change and/or
environmental monitoring at regional level. In 1994, a symposium was held in
Thailand which focused on the core data sets which would be needed to intelligently
analyse environmental and sustainable development issues. One of the five key topic
areas where such data was considered essential was “fresh water and coastal zone
management”. One recommendation of the meeting was that national governments,
donor agencies and international organizations should conduct surveys to document
the status of core data sets. These surveys were concluded by 1997 and some results
are already becoming available, although finding them can be difficult, as they are not
listed in one convenient place (UNDP, 1994).
Another UNEP initiative is the Global Programme of Action for the
Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities. A major element
of work in this programme has been the creating of a GPS information clearinghouse,
which can be visited electronically at URL http://www.unep.org/unep/gpa/gpaich.htm.
This major global initiative was created by an intergovernmental conference held in
Washington, D.C., USA in December 1995. The goals, global plan of action,
participants, and other relevant background documents can be found at the GPA home
page at URL http://www.unep.org/unep/gpa/home.htm.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION (IOC) - UNESCO
IOC, founded in 1960 as a UNESCO initiative, comprises an Assembly, Executive
Council and Secretariat (based in Paris) representing 125 member states and has
established several subsidiary bodies. The IOC’s activities are mainly global, with
regional subsidiaries in the major ocean areas of the world. The IOC lends support to
numerous national and regional programmes and initiatives, such as ICoD, ICCOPS,
MEDCOAST and others in the Mediterranean region, and has a separate Regional
Committee for the Black Sea. It also supports TEMA - Training, Education and
Mutual Assistance in the marine sciences. IOC is also responsible for the Global
Ocean Observing System (GOOS), including coastal zone activities.
The IOC is directly involved in management of marine data via various
experts groups, sponsorship of conferences, workshops and numerous publications of
“best practice” (see References section). The IOC’s IODE Group of Experts on Marine
Information Management (GEMIM), which first met in 1984, produces periodic
reports setting out numerous aspects of global marine information, including
standards, collection techniques, information analysis products, dissemination by new
technology (CD-ROM and the World Wide Web) and much more. In discussing the
role of global information for CZM and marine research in a Marine GSDI, the work
of the IODE should not be ignored. Documents from IODE already address such
information topics as: a directory of training opportunities in marine information
management, WWW server and CD-ROM of marine information, global directory of
marine institutions and scientists, ASFISIS - user-friendly package for the
549
UNEP AND CORE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA.
Much of the work of UNEP is now focused on global climatic change and/or
environmental monitoring at regional level. In 1994, a symposium was held in
Thailand which focused on the core data sets which would be needed to intelligently
analyse environmental and sustainable development issues. One of the five key topic
areas where such data was considered essential was “fresh water and coastal zone
management”. One recommendation of the meeting was that national governments,
donor agencies and international organizations should conduct surveys to document
the status of core data sets. These surveys were concluded by 1997 and some results
are already becoming available, although finding them can be difficult, as they are not
listed in one convenient place (UNDP, 1994).
Another UNEP initiative is the Global Programme of Action for the
Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities. A major element
of work in this programme has been the creating of a GPS information clearinghouse,
which can be visited electronically at URL http://www.unep.org/unep/gpa/gpaich.htm.
This major global initiative was created by an intergovernmental conference held in
Washington, D.C., USA in December 1995. The goals, global plan of action,
participants, and other relevant background documents can be found at the GPA home
page at URL http://www.unep.org/unep/gpa/home.htm.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION (IOC) - UNESCO
IOC, founded in 1960 as a UNESCO initiative, comprises an Assembly, Executive
Council and Secretariat (based in Paris) representing 125 member states and has
established several subsidiary bodies. The IOC’s activities are mainly global, with
regional subsidiaries in the major ocean areas of the world. The IOC lends support to
numerous national and regional programmes and initiatives, such as ICoD, ICCOPS,
MEDCOAST and others in the Mediterranean region, and has a separate Regional
Committee for the Black Sea. It also supports TEMA - Training, Education and
Mutual Assistance in the marine sciences. IOC is also responsible for the Global
Ocean Observing System (GOOS), including coastal zone activities.
The IOC is directly involved in management of marine data via various
experts groups, sponsorship of conferences, workshops and numerous publications of
“best practice” (see References section). The IOC’s IODE Group of Experts on Marine
Information Management (GEMIM), which first met in 1984, produces periodic
reports setting out numerous aspects of global marine information, including
standards, collection techniques, information analysis products, dissemination by new
technology (CD-ROM and the World Wide Web) and much more. In discussing the
role of global information for CZM and marine research in a Marine GSDI, the work
of the IODE should not be ignored. Documents from IODE already address such
information topics as: a directory of training opportunities in marine information
management, WWW server and CD-ROM of marine information, global directory of
marine institutions and scientists, ASFISIS - user-friendly package for the