Environmental Information Systems Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS) Environmental Decision Support Systems (EDSS)

EMIS Storage and retrieval of information, such as records and data, needed to support environmental management systems (such as those prescribed by ISO 14001) Typically based on a relational database, although spatial databases (such as geographic information systems) are beginning to appear in this context

Integrated EMIS Redundancy = noncompliance Object oriented approach to the firm –Data –Software tools –Management processes

Separation of Entities Data Object Data Object Data Object Software Application Software Application Software Application Process

Employee Data Personnel Database Application HazCom EPCRA Reporting Emissions Monitoring Purchasing Database Application Flue Gas Sensor Application Facility Data Material Data Example

EDSS Information systems that help humans make environmental management decisions Focused on specific decision problems and decision makers

EDSS (cont’d) Incorporates such active information management operations as modeling, simulation, expert systems and optimization which operate on the data Engages spatial data management directly, using geographic information management as the framework

Integration and Interface Historically, environmental management data and tools have been discrete and disconnected This has the effect of preventing actual decision makers from using them If we want good decisions, we must make the data and tools accessible to the decision makers

Example: Sandia EDSS (See paper posted to BB Supplemental Materials) Integrating various tools –Latin Hypercube Sampling –Mathematical Process Modeling –Linear optimization –Expert systems –Geographic Information Systems Monitor Well Network Designer (MWND) Low Level Waste Facility Analyzer (LOLA)

EDSS Project Kickoff Groups of 3 Choose a) An environmental management problem b) A decision maker Write a requirements specification for an information system to help (a) with (b) Prototype elements of this system