Towards a national reference center for environmental information in The Netherlands: A review

For improvement of the accessibility and use of environmental information a prototype national reference center (CIMI) was constructed in the Netherlands in 1986. Target groups were identified on the basis of an analysis of the demand side. They were questioned about their needs in the field of environmental information. On the basis of these experiences an automated integrated system has been built that is composed of subsystems for reference to expertise in organizations (specialisms), literature, research, and databases of site-specific data. This system is also equipped with a thesaurus. The system has been tested and examined in several ways. The outcome of these independent tests and investigations confirm the usefulness of this center for information transfer. The reference center can be helpful in providing overviews on and structuring of environmental information in the Netherlands. The results of the activities have been presented in several ways and were described extensively in a number of reports.     

Information requirements of integrated environmental policy experiences in the Netherlands

During the last few years in the Netherlands an integrated environmental policy has been developed. Solving environmental problems by means of effective and efficient solutions requires that the entire environmental cycle be considered in order to take all relevant compartments and aspects into account. Four different phases can be identified during the treatment of an environmental problem by management: recognition, formulation, solution, and control.Some qualitative and quantitative aspects of the information demand of environmental policy are explored. Special attention is given to the consequences of the integral approach in environmental policy in terms of information requirements. The process of information supply starts with an analysis of the demand. Subsequently data from the environmental cycle have to be selected, aggregated, and presented adequately. Further, integrated environmental policy puts increased demands on the associative power of environmental information systems.