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Given
that one of the first applications of the internet was to help researchers share data
across geographical boundaries, it is not surprising that today, the internet
and other ICTs are being used to share information about our
complex global environment. By making it easy to collect,
distribute and analyze data from many different sources, scientists have been able to
increase their capacity to learn about the world’s ecosystem. While the internet cannot stop environmental degradation, it has
enabled further understanding of the boundaries of nature. Not only do
digitized environmental data benefit scientists, but they
also give global policy-makers greater access to information, allowing
them to address urgent problems more effectively, through
environmentally friendly common action. |
ICT stories from the field
Information Centers on Water Hygiene
in Burkina Faso
Success Strategy: This project is for the communication of the hygienic use of water in the district of Bokin in Burkina Faso. This is carried out by the use of computers, solar powered internet connectivity, digital cameras and projectors, making it possible to communicate in audio-visuals to small villages.
There has been a lack of information dissemination on the use and management of water sites in villages, there is also no general information on water sanitation and hygiene.
With the use of ICTs the project aims at developing an innovative approach on awareness and capacity development for farmers on issues of water hygiene and sanitation.
The projects targets as beneficiaries, 10 villages in the district of Bokin with an approximate number of 20'000 people.
The project aims to provide the villagers with a better understanding of water hygiene, related problems and possible solutions. The consequence of which is a reduction in illnesses, a cost effective use of water and associated materials and the empowerment of the villagers.
As a follow-up to this project, Sahel Solidarite organized a multimedia presentation in the village of Guimba, Using multimedia devices such as PowerPoint, a video presentation. The presentation featured hygienist showing the good and bad practices of water use and the manpower for the project were locally sourced and trained in the use of ICTs.
This presentation left a lasting impression on the villagers many of whom had never seen the use of such technology.
Sahel Solidarite plans another of this presentation to involve more women participation.
Partners: Sahel Solidarite, International Institute for Communication and Development
Source:
The IICD website,
Sahel Solidarite
A web school project called ENO-Environment
Online
Success
strategy:
ENO-Environment
Online is a global web school for environmental
awareness. Four different environmental themes are
studied within a school year (Social, Natural,
Cultural Environment and Sustainable Development)
on a weekly basis. The ENO Program has been running
since 2000 and it is organised and co-ordinated by the
city of
Joensuu, Finland.
The
main idea is to lay emphasis on local environment and
see it in a global aspect: act locally - think
globally. Information will be gathered from local
communities and shared together in the website.
Learning is student-centered. There are both online
and offline activities. In the end of each theme there
is a campaign week when the results are shared locally
and globally.
Goals:
-
to
study to learn co-operationally in web community
-
to
learn new skills in ICT
-
to
deepen environmental themes in education
-
to
add global awareness and internationality
-
to
support sustainable development
-
to
get developing countries as active participants
Partners:
There
are 130 official ENO schools in 52 countries.
The age of students is from 12 to 18 years.
Recognitions
& Awards:
-
An
Umbrella Project for NetD@ys 2000 by European
Commission
-
3rd
Prize in EcoG@llery Europe 2000
-
3rd
Prize Winner in Childnet Awards 2001
-
Labelled
NetDays Project 2001
-
Finalist
in the Stockholm Challenge Awards 2002
-
Finalist
in the Global Junior Challenge 2002
-
Quality
Prize in eLearning, Ministry of Education, 2003
For further
information: see
the ENO website
A Great Lakes
network
Success
strategy: Illustrative
of the increasingly important role that the internet
and ICTs are playing the environmental sector, the
Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) has become a
reliable tool for information relating to the
environment, economy, education and tourism for the
Great Lakes region in the United States.Realizing that traditional forms of
communication and information sharing were not
sufficient to address the multitude of issues
associated with environmental conservation in the
region, the Great Lakes Commission, the non-partisan
body that manages GLIN, turned to the internet in
1994.By
providing an online resource for environmental,
economic and cultural research and analysis, GLIN has
helped professionals from a variety of disciplines and
government agencies improve their understanding of the
Great Lakes ecosystem.To the surprise of the GLIN managers, the number of domestic
and international visitors to the site grew from
68,000 in 1995 to over 931,000 by 2000.The site continues to grow in popularity.
Source:
http://www.great-lakes.net
A Green
Network
Success
strategy: Begun in 1991 by a Carnegie Mellon University
student, the EnviroLink network has become one of the
world’s largest repositories of environmental
information.Since 1991 when it was simply an e-mail
listserv for a few student activists, EnviroLink has
transformed into a critical resource for knowledge
sharing and linking like-minded individuals in the
virtual environment.EnviroLink offers a variety of free internet
services.For
instance, the EnviroWeb program provides hosting,
listserv, e-mail and customizable Web site development
free of charge to non-profit organizations committed
to protecting the environmental and animal rights.
Source:
Envoroweb
High-tech Weather Services in Africa
Success
strategy: Realizing the need to improve the quality and
quantity of surface observations relating to weather
forecasts and climate predictions in Africa, the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) proposed a pilot
project in June 2002 that seeks to utilize the
existing network of HAM radio operators to improve the
reporting of meteorological observations to the
national meteorological centres (NMCs) in the region.Sponsored by the United States National Weather
Service, the overall objective of the one-year project
is to create a cooperative weather observer network to
help the countries of Africa better prepare for
drastic climate changes and avert natural disasters.So far over 50 potential operators have been
identified throughout Africa, and the implementation
of the project is currently underway.
For more information:
see
the WMO website
Background materials:
see
the High-tech weather services in Africa
case study
CARPE diem
Success strategy:
The Central African Regional Program for the
Environment (CARPE) brings together a variety of
international actors ranging from the World Wildlife
Fund to the African Wildlife Foundation and the Peace
Corps to address issues relating to deforestation and
biodiversity in the Congo Basin.CARPE, which began as a five-year pilot project launched by
the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) in 1994, seeks to identify the problem areas
in the Basin (e.g. unsustainable land management), and
establish a framework for biodiversity and forest
conservation throughout the region.Moreover, through information sharing and new
technology transfers, CARPE aims to enhance the human
and institutional capacities of indigenous populations
in an effort to protect the more than 170 million
hectares that comprise the Basin.Since inception, CARPE has helped the people of
the region to:
-
create
guidelines for resource conservation
-
learn
about effective land management, and
-
develop
strategic approaches to environmental information
analysis
Drawing
on the expertise of regional NGOs and local citizens,
CARPE organizers have developed a Web site that serves
as a repository for information sharing among the nine
Congo Basis states.
Partners:
The
United States and South Africa along with 27 public and
private partners
Source:
http://carpe.umd.edu
Ecosandals.com
Success
strategy:
In
an effort to protect the environment while creating
jobs for the residents of a deprived shantytown, the
Wikyo Akala Project uses discarded rubber tires to
make sandals, thus providing new job opportunities for
the more than 500,000 inhabitants of Korogocho, a
suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. The non-profit project melds together many
important elements of sustainability, including
education, human resource development and
environmental protection.
The key component to the Wikyo Akala Project is
its Ecosandals.com Web portal, which has proved to be
widely popular throughout African and abroad. As a sustainable and community-based project
that engages the youth of Korogocho in a money-making
experiment while fostering the recycling of
environmental waste, Ecosandals.com is helping to
reform and modernize the social and economic
structures of this marginalized community.
Source:
Ecosandals.com
For more information: see
the Ecosandals.com case study
India’s Village Knowledge Centres
Success
strategy: Designed by M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)
and funded by the Canada-based International
Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Village
Knowledge Centres have been an important source of
information for many rural villages throughout India.From healthcare to farming and transportation
information, these “information shops” are both
sustainable and empowering.For instance, a cadre of women volunteers
between the ages of 21-27 run the shop in the village
of Embalam, and women are given preference at each of
the other sites in operation.
While the Village Knowledge Centres have
improved access to markets, healthcare information and
helped sensitize rural youth to computers, access to
agriculture-related information has proved to be one
of the most popular uses of the Centres.In the village of Veerampattinam, each day the
operating staff downloads maps from the U.S. Navy
website, showing local weather forecasts for the day.The staff then disseminates the information via
loudspeakers to the village fisherman to help them
prepare for the day’s tasks.By offering practical, localized information
that can be immediately useful to the community, these
information shops help to promote a healthy
environment for all villagers.
While
the government of Pondicherry has established Centres
in four villages so far, it intends to establish
“onramps” to the information superhighway in 50
more villages in the near future.Each shop is equipped with a multimedia Pentium
PC and a printer, which are linked to the MSSRF hub in
Villianur through a local area network based on Very
High Frequency (VHF) radio.Despite the positive benefits the Centres have
had since being implemented in 1998, many barriers
remain.Poverty,
illiteracy and linguistic hurdles must be overcome in
order to expand the project into new villages
throughout Pondicherry.Moreover, it will be essential to for the
project coordinators to educate local bureaucrats, who
seek to maintain control over the flow of information,
about the social and economic benefits of ICTs and the
free flow of information at the local level.
For more information:
http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/0401/balaji.html
Environmental Information Circulation and Monitoring
System on the Internet
Success strategy:
The ITU participates, in association with UNITAR and the
Observatory for the Sahel and the Sahara (OSS), in the
Programme for an Information System on Desertification
(ISD) – Environmental Information Circulation and
Monitoring System on the internet (EISI) in Africa.
The programme aims at developing information heritage
relating to the environment, improving access to and
exchange of environmental information, creating
synergies and coordinating environmental operators.
The first phase already implemented has permitted to
organize sub-regional training seminars and implement
pilot projects in seven African countries (Benin,
Burkina Faso, Mali, Morocco, Uganda, Senegal, Tunisia)
and three regions (West Africa, North Africa and East
Africa).
The project is now in its second phase of
implementation. Efforts are focused on extending the
field of application of the Environmental Information
Circulation and Monitoring System on the internet to the
whole African continent, in order to respond to the
numerous request of African countries and sub-regions
wishing to equip themselves with capabilities to build
their own ISD-EISI.
Partners:
ITU (International Telecommunication Union, UNITAR and
the Observatory for the Sahel and the Sahara (OSS)
Source:
WSIS Stocktaking Database
and
the
ITU website
Ghana’s Environmental
Information Network
Success
strategy: Realizing
the need to create a national repository for
environment-related information, the Ghanaian Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Environmental
Information Network Project. By digitizing the
environmental information from the EPA, Forestry Research
Institute, and the Building and Road Research Institute, the
project is designed to enhance the country’s management of
the environment. The goal of the project is to utilize the
searchable electronic network to facilitate networking
between relevant agencies and stakeholders, while enhancing
the Government’s ability to collect, process and share
environment-related information with all interested
parties. Targeted at policy makers, civil society, NGOs and
the general public, the Network helps all Ghanaians better
understand their local environment, while also serving as a
mechanism for averting natural disasters and environmental
degradation.
Source:
http://www.epa.gov.gh/
RANET - Global
Success Strategy:
RANET is an international collaboration to make weather,
climate and related information more accessible to remote
and resource poor populations. The program combines
innovative technologies with appropriate applications and
partnerships at the community level in order to ensure that
the networks it creates serve the entirety of community
information needs. Community ownership and partnership is
the core principle of RANET's sustainability strategy.
In the framework of RANET, a range of activities are
undertaken including training, pilot activities to
demonstrate various community technologies, and development
of a dissemination network through partnership and platform
development. Its goal is to facilitate day-to-day resource
decisions and help people prepare for, mitigate against, and
respond to natural hazards.
RANET also works to build telecommunication bridges between
scientific-based products and remote communities to foster
the exchange of environment-related information. RANET is a
2-tier system. The first tier carries information necessary
for meteorological services to improve their own products.
Examples include satellite imagery, ocean temperature
measurements, synoptic observations, and large-scale model
runs. These products are taken from public domain websites.
The second tier is designed to serve the communities and
local populations by further distributing locally/nationally
produced information, such as forecasts, bulletins, and
warnings. In several cases, communities have requested
additional information such as crop prices, which is then
also placed on the network. In all cases RANET strives to
have information produced in local languages and in a
non-technical format.
The programme has been developing specific technology-based
platforms. For instance, in Africa new and existing analogue
(FM/AM) radio stations were integrated with new digital
radio satellite technologies. RANET's strategy in this and
other projects involves helping ensure the programme builds
upon existing capabilities and local knowledge, is community
owned and operated, and is locally relevant.
RANET also provides a web-hosting programme. In exchange for
the chance to develop web skills and an online presence,
national environmental services are asked to make some
operational products available via RANET's digital radio
broadcast. The WorldSpace Foundation (renamed First Voice
International, or FVI) developed and manages the satellite
system through which RANET broadcasts multimedia (data)
content to all of Africa and most of Asia, and probably soon
in the Pacific.
Partners:
International, regional, national, and local organisations
from the public, non-profit, and commercial sector,
including the Australian Government with the Australian
Bureau of Meteorology and the African Center of
Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD). Support
has been provided by the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance, the NOAA Office of Global Programs, and FVI.
Source:
WSIS
Stocktaking Database,
the
Communication Initiative website and
the
website of the activity
For more information: see
http://www.ranetproject.net
Creating
Future Scientists
Success
strategy: The Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the
Environment (GLOBE) project is an online learning tool
targeted mainly at primary and secondary schools
throughout the world.While global in scope, the project is sponsored
by a consortium of federal United States agencies
ranging from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Agency (NOAA) to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).In
the United States alone, GLOBE has partnerships with
over 140 colleges/universities, state and local
schools and a variety of non-governmental agencies.GLOBE enables students to actively participate
in scientific research in a variety of fields,
including ecology, land conservation and meteorology.The GLOBE site not only gives students an
opportunity to interact with scientists and students
in other parts of the world, but also allows them to
share their research in the internet-based student
data archive.GLOBE also offers online workshops for teachers, while giving
them a forum to collaborate with their counterparts in
other countries.Operating in over 95 countries, GLOBE has
provided online scientific instruction to more than
one million students, with over 10,000 schools
participating in the real-time learning environment.
Partners:
107 countries
Source :
http://www.globe.gov
Internet-Linked Boats for Ecological Awareness -
Bangladesh
Success Strategy:
This innovative project was conceived in order to reduce
pesticide use, improve water quality, and increase
incomes in isolated river basin farming communities
through distance learning programs on water health and
rights provided by Mobile internet-Educational Unit
Boats (MIEUB). The overall budget of the project is
estimated at US$198,000.
The river-dominated areas of Bangladesh are submerged
for 3-4 months every year during the monsoon season.
These floods prevent the government from providing road
networks, electricity, and telephone service to the 20
million people who live in these areas. In addition,
these river basin communities do not have access to
information about water protection, and poor water
practices are rampant, such as dumping pesticides and
raw sewage into the rivers. As a result, these rivers
have experienced an alarming level of toxicity and a
sharp decline in fish production.
By targeting the hard-to-reach river basin farming
communities, the MIEUBs uniquely address the water
education needs of a large but commonly neglected
population. This project is the only one of its kind to
literally navigate the Bangladeshi river network to
deliver water information and training services to these
remote areas. In addition, the internet capability
allows the farmers to obtain commodity pricing
information and communicate with others-a powerful
advantage in selling their goods. This project expects
to educate 100,000 farmers to take a more proactive
approach to address water violation practices, while
also helping them achieve a 50 percent increase in
agricultural productivity and income and a 60 percent
reduction in pesticide and fertilizer use.
Partners:
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha (SSS), Commonwealthof
Learning
Awards: Finalist for the World Bank's Development Marketplace competition 2005
Source:
The World Bank website
Exploring the
Ozone Online
Success
strategy: As an electronic testament to the reality of ozone
layer depletion, the University of Cambridge, UK
launched a project in 1997
to
help educate students and concerned citizens about the
effects of releasing chlorofloro carbons (CFCs) into
the atmosphere.The
Ozone Hole Tour site provides visitors with a
comprehensive overview of the make-up of the earth’s
atmosphere, offers scientific insights into what is
being done to address the manmade problem, and
provides links to a variety of information resources
about the issue.With over 3,500 online hits per week, the site
has surpassed the expectations of the project’s
organizers, and has become popular among primary
students and university researchers alike.Working with scientists and research
institutions from around the world, the site serves as
an online learning tool to better understand the
adverse effects that industrialization has had on the
earth’s atmosphere.
Source:
http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/index.html
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