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Keywords
Environmental impact assessment Environmental scanning, Environmental risk assessment, Germany, Data envelopment, Analysis
Abstract
The topic of environmental protection has always been of great concern in Germany, the establishment of environmental data sources started in the 1970s. The development of environmental information system technology in Germany is outlined and two examples are given: the Environmental Planning and Information System (UMPLIS) and the Integrated Public Environmental Information System (UIS) Baden-Wuerttemberg. Relevant German environmental data sources are discussed, such as Environmental Literature Database (ULIDAT), Environmental Research Projects Database (UFORDAT), and Environmental Law Databases (URDB), as well as the chemical databases which comprise environmental information - the BEILSTEIN database and the Landolt-Boernstein database. The Information System for Environmental Chemicals with its four metadatabases - Metadatabase of Literature on Environmental Chemicals (DALI), Metadatabase of Online Databases for Environmental Chemicals (DADB), Metadatabase of CD-ROMs for Environmental Chemicals (DACD), and the Metadatabase of Internet Resources (DAIN).
Introduction
The protection of the environment has always been a great concern of the German population and government. Given the great importance of the subject, several activities were undertaken to support the protection of the environment with environmental information systems and databases.
This paper will focus on three main activities of the following institutions and societies:
(1) German Environmental Protection Agency (UBA);
(2) Computer Science in Environmental Protection Technical Committee of the German Society of Computer Science;
(3) Information System for Environmental Chemicals established at the GSF National Research Center for Environment and Health, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry for State Development and Environmental Affairs, Munich, Germany.
The environmental databases and information systems are also examined in terms of both content and information technology.
History and development of environmental information system technology in Germany
In the early 1980s computer applications in the German state agencies of environmental protection moved to a higher level. One of the main initiators of information system technology in the environmental area has been the German Federal Environment Protection Agency (UBA) in Berlin, which was established as the central environmental agency in the 1970s. Interestingly enough, the operation of an environmental information system was one of the main tasks of the newly founded UBA defined by the foundation law for the agency from the very beginning....