1. Aarhus Convention Task Force on Electronic Information Tools Geneva, 26-27 January 2004 Chris Jarvis Information Policy Manager

2. Environment Agency Non Departmental Public Body responsible to Department of the Environment Wide range of duties and powers relating to environmental management 11,000 staff across England and Wales 8 Regional Offices, 26 Area Offices ~100 staff respond to >350,000 requests We place a high priority on the provision of information in achieving environmental goals

3. Local communities Students Schoolchildren Teachers Consultants Solicitors Business Data WIYBY WIYBY: One size fits all

4. Data WIYBY Standalone Information Services Data Flood warning Data Reporting Data Internal

5. Reporting WIYBY V2 eDecisions Documents Education What’s happening/have your say, local data to analyse, etc. Communities e.g. libraries - what’s happening in your area Individuals Publication s Local Government Insurance, Consultancies and other spin offs Land Development Commercial Residential Data Property Search Company identifier Financial Investment Financial Services

6. Defra/UNEP Capacity Building Project Funded by UK/Defra Environment EECCA countries UNEP EA

7. Defra/UNEP Capacity Building Project countries will benefit from shared benefits and experiences, and shared and co-ordinated resources (e.g. licensing agreements) interoperable systems and common standards will allow information to be shared, accessed and used without confinement to political boundaries consider relevance to the use, development and applicability of the UNEP.net global portal

8. Project Outline Capacity Building Develop pilots/proof of concepts Deliver a framework –common requirements –engender consistency –identification of funding streams –identification of user needs

9. Project Framework Derivation and Assessment of a framework for the delivery of information services that includes: -Definition of user needs -Definition of data and information requirements and associated standards -Interoperable technical architecture -Identification of funding streams and opportunities -Resolution of data policy and legal issues -Impact analysis

10. Current Stage Participating in UNEP workshop in Kiev (26- 29 Jan 04):  Provide an introduction to the Environment Agency’s experience in providing environmental information  Provide a summary of the Environment Agency’s future direction in moving to tailored information services  Gain preliminary input to the UNEP/EA capacity building project to develop a framework for electronic information services

11. Current Stage Stand alone workshop in ECCA Region (Spring 04):  Develop the framework  Propose and develop pilot(s)  Report on output, inc. proposals on way forward/ further stage of project