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ENVIS
New
Information Paradigm Fifty years ago, India attained independence. Rhetoric apart, we have come a long way after breaking the shackles of slavery and have made tremendous strides in various fields like agriculture, industry, science and technology etc. This progress or development, however, took a heavy toll of our natural resource base, well beyond its carrying capacity and caused irreversible damage to the environment. Globally speaking, the first ever UN Conference on environment in 1972, at Stockholm, warned us about this forthcoming danger and also established the fact that environment and development are two sides of the same coin. And, plundering the Earth’s resources could never lead to the sustainable development of mankind. With this backdrop, Ministry of Environment & Forests (Govt. of India) decided to establish Environmental Information System (ENVIS) centres across the subcontinent to act as communication bridges to reach out to the masses. The basic premise was to empower people through the powerful tool of information by evolving decentralised information paradigm and make them sensitive towards environment.
ENVIS # 4 ENVIS Centre # 4 was established in 1984 at Development Alternatives,
New Delhi. Since its inception it is an integral part of the organization and works closely with its other branches which develop and disseminate appropriate technologies and institutional systems for sustainable development. As the organization undertakes a wide range of environment related activities, it has a direct interest in the exchange of information both as a resource and a tool for the implementation of its action-oriented programmes. Against the above backdrop, an active and increasingly well used information system has been established. This unit not only acts as a repository of information for in-house use but also functions as a resource centre for external users on appropriate technology and environmental management.
This information unit has a three pronged mission, which is as follows:
From the very beginning, emphasis has been placed on the provision of information services to keep the professionals, policy makers, planners etc. abreast of current developments in the field of appropriate technologies and sustainable development. The services are as follows:
Databases are the foundation block of any information system, it is vital that the structure of the database matches the processing requirements of the users. In pursuance of the above objectives, the Information Unit of Development Alternatives has developed computerized databases with the help of Micro CDS/ISIS for interactive information processing. The unit maintains a computerized referral database comprising experts and institutions working in the field of appropriate technology and sustainable development. The unit has efficient and exhaustive computerized databases comprising books, periodicals, research reports, reprints, audio visuals, press clippings, proposals, conference alerts and annual reports.
Networking is a concept which encompasses research coordination, human resources and the synergy of research and technology communities across the national and international boundaries.
As a
Distributed Information Centre (DIC) in the ENVIS (Environmental
Information System) network, the unit expects to be able to
contribute and benefit greatly from the improved environmental
information flow which is being generated. The system will make
full use of information provided by various national and
international organizations.
The various ongoing activities of this information unit are as follows:-
The Information Unit has undertaken the massive work of automation of the documents acquired by the unit. The unit has accomplished this task and the information regarding the documents can be retrieved through various access points like author, title, accession no., class no., and keywords etc.
The Information Unit brings out Topic Specific Bibliographies (TSB)
Newsletter Catalogue The primary objective of a newsletter is to share and exchange information. The newsletter carries articles on the reports and projects with the focus on design and development of appropriate technologies, environment management and institutional design. The newsletter also invites articles, editorials from experts and specialists on various subjects related to sustainable development. Actually, this forms an integral part of our network news. Information on current events, conferences and seminars are some of the other features of the Development Alternatives newsletter. Our newsletter is also on the Internet (website: www.ecouncil.ac.cr/devalt/nl.htm). The newsletter catalogue contains comprehensive information of newsletters received by the Information Unit. It is a valuable resource for the professionals and all those actively interested in development issues. It furnishes a panoramic view of current development on broader subject areas which may greatly influence development professionals’ field of work.
A
quarterly Hindi journal of Development Alternatives is also being
published. Audio and Video Unit The Audio and Video Unit of Development Alternatives is involved in designing, producing and disseminating communication packages for creating mass awareness on sustainable development issues using audio and video cassettes. Development Alternatives has brought out a number of audio cassettes comprising Hindi songs on environment and development issues. Our video distribution centre has an extensive collection of high quality TV and video programmes on environment on development issues.
The
‘Green Show’ ‑ an half-hour TV programme ‑ produced by Development
Alternatives, has been focusing on issues relating to environment,
business, development and industry. Query Response Services
On an
average, the Information Unit attends to approximately 2000 queries
from a variety of sources like AT designers, NGOs, research
institutions, local enterprises and govt. agencies. Moreover, the
unit acts as switchboard to connect users with appropriate sources
of environmental information. Periodical Catalogue This catalogue furnishes information regarding the periodicals and the magazines acquired by the unit. It also gives a brief description of each periodicals along with bibliographical details.
Achievements Our achievements, in a nutshell, for the year (1996-97) are as follows:
A user-friendly and a comprehensive NGO directory is being complied to facilitate resource sharing and networking among the NGO and development agencies.
A user
friendly directory is being compiled to provide information on
national and international funding agencies that support development
projects with technical, material and financial assistance. SDI Services This service attempts to keep researchers abreast of their respective areas of specialisation by alerting them to any piece of information relevant to their research activities received at the centre. Moreover, the unit is planning to develop computerized SDI service to cater to the requirements of the professionals.
DAINET Development Alternatives Information Network (DAINET) is an integral part of the Development Alternatives. It aims to make relevant information available and accessible in the form and at the time required for sustainable development efforts, especially by the independent sector. As ENVIS#4, DAINET collects, stores and disseminates information related to Environmentally Sound Appropriate Technology (ESAT) and Environmental Management (EM).
No doubt, we have miles to go before we sleep but some of the prominent future plans in our pipeline are:
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in anticipation of the demand of the potential users. It comprises
published as well as unpublished information received by the Unit.
The unit has compiled a comprehensive bibliography of journal
articles on GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade) which is a
topic of significant interest. The unit has already published
bibliographies on GIS and Remote Sensing etc.