Institutional Issues in Data Management
| |
|
| Unclear responsibility and roles as to what data should be collected, how, and how often. | Responsibility can be easily assigned locally for data collection, but this should be consistent with national mechanisms for reporting on the environment. A national or pan-European initiative might be launched defining who is to collect data on the state of the environment, how and how regularly. To be consistent with the subsidiarity principle, data collection should take place at the local level, feeding into a national reporting mechanism and European system, for example that of the European Environment Agency. Communication and cooperation with the key players in-country and on the European scene can help determine these issues. |
| Unclear access rights. What data can and can't be collected and by whom? Is it public or private? | Local and national policies might also clarify who can access what data when reporting and monitoring the state of the environment. In some cases, local players are hindered from accessing certain kinds of environmental data in spite of legislation defining free access to information. Rules should be enforced once established. |
| Vague rules on ownership. Should data (raw and processed) be made available for a fee or for free? | Participant reaction from the Dissemination session noted that all work undertaken by administration is funded by the public via taxes, so as public property should be made available without charge. However, parallel discussions during the Data Collection session revealed that because local governments (especially those in CEE) are expected to self-finance their activities, municipal data is one of the few commodities they can sell. This would not apply to "basic data" (which would require defining) , but that with added value and service. One reason for advocating this latter measure is third party use of public data. Value added data, given away for free, has in some instances been sold on without any reference to the supplier/producer. Copyright and ownership rules might help overcome this problem, ensuring proper reference and no profit making. Legislation should therefore define whether data which has been collected and processed becomes the property of the owner, and whether this can be made available for free, or at a cost - if only to cover the time invested in collection and processing. |
| Securing financing | Besides lobbying for institutional funds and support locally, the role of local players in collecting environmental data need first be clearly defined. Consequent to this, the necessary allocation of funds can be made, at the local level as well as nationally and internationally depending on the reporting mechanisms in use. |
| Limited expertise, both locally and nationally | Can be improved through data collection/gathering related training courses, seminars and workshops offering opportunity for experience, know-how, and information exchange. Even staff exchange might be facilitated. Participant reaction noted this might be funded by the EU, as opposed to the funding of product development within company-dominated cooperations. |
| Planning ahead before implementing IT solutions | Defining your content, and processes will streamline any needs analysis, and help ensure a right decision is made in selecting an appropriate IT solution. Identifying key players and further motivating them and ensuring their commitment can be challenging but can be invaluable in dealing with later obstacles which might arise. Business plans can assist in streamlining activities and advisory boards/steering committees can ensure accurate plans are drafted. |
| |
|
| Low political support in addressing environmental problems and understanding of the role technology solutions can play. Once implemented, ensuring sustainability of the application | Better understanding of the benefits of IT and the need to prioritise environmental issues. This can be achieved through awareness raising at the local level, both through external measures such as nationally and EU supported environment workshops, and IT events. Internally, lobbying senior players for time and budget allocations. Low prioritisatio is a common obstacle but references can be made to a number of driving forces: the EU acession process driving environmental improvement and consideration, the need for implementation and harmonisation with EU Directives, the growth of the Information Society and the "information revolution," the value of IT as a support tool to the decisionmaking process etc. |
| Poor public environmental awareness | Awareness raising through the dissemination of multi-thematic environmental information through public information systems, the Internet and the media. |
| Overcoming a poor legal framework | Harmonisation and implementation of legislation at the local (and initially at the national) level consistent with EU law prior to membership. This includes access to information, IPPC (Integrated pollution, prevention and control) and waste directives, environmental impact assessement (EIA), air and water Directives etc. which all call for the collection and dissemination of related information. |
| Poor staff expertise | Attendance of training courses, workshops, etc. in the relevant fields raising the level of user, and expert education. Funds for this might be provided at the local level, while at the national level, courses offered by those bodies responsible for the development of the Information Society. |
| Overcoming hight costs of telecommunications and technologies | Implementation of low-cost solutions locally. Ensuring appropriate budgets are set aside locally through lobbying. Soliciting external financial support through regional development and environment funds, national sources, and international sources like VFP, Phare etc. Liberalisation of the telecoms sector (national issue) |
| Institutional cooperation, locally, regionally, and internationally (transboundary) | At the national level, hosting forums and seminars on environment and IST to raise awareness and bring key players/institutions from the local level together. Partnerships and cooperation can then be nurtured. |
Other Technical Challenges raised before the meeting for discussion included:
|
|
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
