The Environmental Management Information System (EMIS) is a tool for collecting, organising and applying information relevant to urban development and the environment. It is designed to assist in clarifying issues, formulating strategies, implementing action plans, monitoring progress and updating changes. The system combines Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) concerns and issues with a carefully structured management information system, using mapping and geographical information systems (GIS) as essential components for presentation, analysis and modelling. In 1996, the Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) started to develop an operational tool for EMIS at the city level by establishing a centre of excellence in Dar es Salaam /Tanzania for GIS application within the EPM process. Tool support included the provision of equipment, software and spatial data. This allowed the city to develop up-to-date Basic Maps, Thematic Maps on their environment and development setting, and a Strategic Management Framework. To date, Accra, Chennai, Dar es Salaam, Ibadan, Ismailia, Shenyang, Wuhan, and Zanzibar have developed locally relevant mapping standards and GIS to prepare up-to-date and reliable maps for environmental management purposes, drawing on academic, research and government institution resources. The Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP), in co-operation with partner cities, has developed a number of replicable EMIS tools, which will be compiled in a guidebook. The guidebook and an accompanying toolkit provide cities with a framework for setting up, maintaining and further refining an EMIS. Through the development of the guidebook and the provision of direct support, the SCP is promoting the development and use of EMIS in its partner cities. If you would like to look at the guidebook, please click here (212 kb pdf file). Read also the EMIS Steps!
	EMIS In Brief EMIS stands for Environmental Management Information System. In general an EMIS gathers all information relevant for the SCP Process, such as archives, documentation of the process, address recording and mapping. However, the focus is on the mapping part of the information system. Cities everywhere are confronted with similar questions: Where shall we establish new housing areas? How can we revive certain parts of our city? How can we avoid hazardous situations? These are routine questions for urban management. They occur frequently, have long-term effects and are cross-sectoral. All these questions also relate to space, so the answers have to be geographically linked. Using a GIS to answer routine questions means many drawbacks can be overcome. For example a GIS includes a huge database on a city which is linked to different maps on the same area. All this information can be combined, queried and analysed. So it should ideally only take a few hours to prepare an extensive and wide ranging report to provide solutions to routine questions. Therefore a GIS is a tool which helps decision-makers as well as other stakeholders plan and manage the urban environment efficiently and sustainably. EMIS concentrates on the interaction between environment and development activities. What makes EMIS special is the way it is set-up. Unlike many GIS, EMIS is used by many different people, many of them are not mapping and GIS specialists. Using the participatory EPM approach, EMIS users both provide information to the system, and use it to answer their queries. The system grows with the users. Establishing an EMIS in a SCP city supports a better understanding of the SCP process cycle. Basic Maps and some additional Thematic Maps are prepared for the Environmental Profile and the environmental data collected for the Environmental Profile is stored and updated in the EMIS. At the same time an inventory is conducted. The EMIS can also be used to prepare an exhibition for the City Consultation. Such a map exhibition will help to identify, clarify and prioritise the environmental issues of the city. The EMIS also supports the participatory decision-making process. The Working Groups decide on their needs for specific maps and find the data for new maps. During this stage a lot of maps and data will accumulate. After this stage the EMIS can be used for many applications. With the help of the EMIS detailed action plans can be prepared and the maps will help to formulate the strategies. When the EMIS is fully functional, further analysis of the data can create a development pattern map. EMIS can support monitoring and evaluation of the achievements of the EPM approach. The EMIS adds considerably to the EPM process. It is based on some fundamental principles: An EMIS is a learning system, so information has to be fed into the system constantly EMIS accepts the best information available. If there is no scientific information, non-scientific information should be used as long as the source is given. EMIS separates facts from policy. Factual data is shown in Thematic Maps while information about policy are stored in Suitability and Sensitivity Maps. EMIS adheres to a sound mapping rationale, so that the maps are easy to interpret. EMIS information has to be accessible to everyone in the public, private and popular sector. The more people using the system, the more information entering the system. For the same reason effective information outreach activities are absolutely necessary for the success of the EMIS. EMIS Steps Advise on purchasing equipment Provide information about existing maps Decide on the content and lay-out of the Basic Map Discuss needs of Thematic Maps with working groups Agree on a mapping rationale for Suitability/ Sensitivity Map Discuss overlay procedures Provide help for public outreach Train users Step 1: Advice on Purchasing equipment An EMIS system can be built without technical equipment, but it is much easier to use a Geographic Information System to handle the amount of data in the system. For an EMIS a personal computer is needed along with an A0 inkjet printer. A digitizing board or a scanner should also be purchased. For fieldwork, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver will be handy. For the office, which should be clean, cool and spacious enough to handle large print-outs, a map filing cabinet and a light table is needed. Setting up an EMIS unit takes quite some resources, and must be supported by enough personnel, at least a GIS officer and one GIS assistant. The inventory includes: Finding existing data and maps Suprisingly many maps already exist, even in digital format. It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel, it is better to get hold of these maps. Setting up a filing system for hardcopies Step 2: Provide Information about existing Maps It is important to file hardcopies properly in a mapping file cabinet. This makes the maps easy to find, and keeps them in good condition. Developing a file system for the digital dataIt is even more important to create a logical file system for the digital data. Otherwise it will be soon be difficult to find the most recent map and to know what kind of information is stored in a file named lnsds.xy. Establishing a database on all these maps and data All these tasks go along with keeping track of the maps and also with gathering information about these maps. Therefore a database should be established to store all this information. A Basic Map includes the main features of the city such as major rivers, main roads and basic landforms. These basic features should be used in each map created later on to give some guidance and orientation on the location. >>top>> Step 3: Decide on the content and lay-out of the Basic Map The layers of the Basic Map function as master layers, so rivers, roads or boundaries will never ever be digitised again. When printing the first Basic Maps, it is useful to decide on a standard lay-out, which can be used for all EMIS maps. A Basic Map can be created by: purchasing existing digital data for topographical maps digitising the features of a topological map either onscreen with scanned maps or by using a digitising board using a satellite image or aerial photographs for updating >>top>>     Step 4: Discuss needs of Thematic Maps with working groups Thematic Maps are the main data of the system. In the EMIS Thematic Maps are strictly of facts while Suitability/ Sensitivity Maps are about policies. Thematic Maps show for example: Height of water level in metres underneath the ground Soil eroded each year in centimetres Types of Crops planted in 1997 Population density per district The input for these Thematic Maps will come from: existing maps or existing data can be found in different city departments issue specific working groups fieldwork, which will be undertaken by the working groups, if there are differences about borders and areas Technical preparartion of the Thematic Maps will differ according to the type of data available such as codes, classes or charts. >>top>> Step 5 :Agree on a mapping rationale for Suitability/ Sensitivity Map The Suitability/ Sensitivity Maps are the final output of the issue specific working groups. A Sensitivity Map shows areas which are highly, moderately, less or not sensitive to an environmental issue, whereas a Suitability Map shows areas highly, moderately or less suitable for a development activity. The steps to create a Suitability/ Sensitivity Map include interpretation of factual data found in Thematic Maps evaluation of the findings conclusion about conditions in specific areas applying rules and regulations according to these conditions The most crucial point at this step is to link the areas of the maps to the rules and regulations decided by the working groups. This can be done by storing the information in a database and linking the maps to it. >>top>> Step 6: Discuss Overlay Procedures For some outputs of the EMIS it is necessary to combine informations stored in several maps. This is done by overlaying these maps and analyzing the outcome. These outputs are crucial for urban management. They help to answer routine questions in urban management such as Project design what can be build on that plot? How does a project design have to be adjusted to the circumstances at that plot? Site selection where should investment be take place? Development pattern where does urban expansion take place and how can this be influenced? Monitoring did a situation improve after certain changes were made? Action plans where is it necessary to take action to change a situation? >>top>> Step 7: Provide help for public outreach Like the EPM (Environmental Planing and management) process, EMIS uses a participatory approach. Therefore public information activities are an important part of the system. This brings new information into the system, and can be very effectively supported by the EMIS itself. Methods to promote the system and the SCP process include: Exhibition The Web Printed publications Interactive map publication >>top>>     Step 8: Train users EMIS is a learning system. Thus, even though you completed all steps, the system is never finalized, and is not supposed to be. In order to maintain the system after the SCP Project has ended, it is necessary to institutionalize the system ensure the public involvement aquire a regular budget update the information regularly provide a continuous training programme >>top>>       Back To Emis Introduction