ENB:04:11
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UNEP:
Dr. Norberto Fernandez, GRID Facility,
spoke
about modern techniques for assessing the global environment,
including satellite imagery, remote sensing and geographic
information systems. He mentioned that sound management of the
environment requires good assessment of situations, which, in
turn, requires timely and reliable data and information. He
explained that the transfer of data and information from the
sectorial sources to the decision-making level is an on-going
process. The Global Resource Information Database (GRID) has
helped to bridge the gap between scientific understanding of
earth processes and sound management of the environment. He then
explained the uses of geographic information systems (GIS) that
can integrate data from different sources and add a spatial
dimension, bringing flexibility into data analysis. Although GIS
cannot give the real answer to the problem of desertification, it
can help build hypotheses. He explained how the World Atlas of
Desertification is an important contribution to the understanding
of this issue and provides information in a clear, concise,
geographically-referenced format. It shows interactions between
socio-economic and environmental factors and helps governments
and policy-makers to assess the scope of the problem, examine
alternatives and decide on a course of action.