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An integrated approach to environmental data management is
necessitated by the complexity of the environmental problems that
need to be addresses, coupled with the interdisciplinary approach
that needs to be adopted to solve them. Agenda 21 of the Rio
Environmental Conference mandated international programmes and
organizations to take steps to develop common data and information
management plans, and steps have been taken in this direction. The
key word that defines the framework of the present book is
`integration'. The book establishes the basics of integrated
approaches and covers environmental data management systems within
that framework, covering all aspects of data management, from
objectives and constraints, design of data collection networks,
statistical and physical sampling, remote sensing and GIS,
databases, reliability of data, data analysis, and the
transformation of data into information.
In recent years, the adequacy of collected water quality data and
the performance of existing monitoring networks have been seriously
evaluated for two basic reasons. First, an efficient information
system is required to satisfy the needs of water quality management
plans and to aid in the decision-making process. Second, this
system has to be realized under the constraints of limited
financial resources, sampling and analysis facilities, and
manpower. Problems observed in available data and shortcomings of
current networks have led researchers to focus more critically on
the design procedures used. The book is intended to present an
up-to-date overview of the current network design procedures and
develop basic guidelines to be followed in both the design and the
redesign of water quality monitoring networks. The book treats the
network design problem in a comprehensive and systematic framework,
starting with objectives of monitoring and elaborating on various
technical design features, e.g. selection of sampling sites,
sampling frequencies, variables to be monitored, and sampling
duration. The design procedures presented are those that the
authors have recently applied in a number of national and
international projects on the design and redesign of water quality
monitoring networks. Thus, the book covers real case studies where
not only the methods described in the earlier titles are used but
also new techniques are introduced. Where earlier methods are used,
they are assessed with respect to their efficiency and
applicability to real case problems. Audience: Essentially, the
framework adopted in the book applies as well to other hydrometric
data collection networks besides those of water quality. In this
respect, it is expected that planners, designers, scientists, and
engineers who are involved in hydrometric network design will
benefit from the in-depth approach assumed in this book. It will
also be of interest to research and data centers, international
programs and organizations related to environmental monitoring. The
book may also be used as a reference text in graduate courses of
water resources and environmental engineering programs.
The diverse nature of environmental problems mankind has
encountered within the last decade has developed a new
understanding of the nature of environmental processes. Currently,
the environment is considered as a continuum of air, soil and water
as the vital components for sustaining life on earth. The
interactive nature of these components requires that the
environment is managed and protected as a cohesive whole. This can
only be accomplished through an integrated approach to
environmental management. Besides the concept of environmental
continuum, prospects for sustainable development of natural
resources and the recent recognition of global climate change
impacts have also necessitated such an integrated approach to
environmental management. Two basic tools for integrated management
of the environment are modeling and environmental data. Both tools
were available and valid in the past; however, the recent
requirements for integrated environmental management have also led
to a significant evolution of both modeling procedures and data
management systems.
In recent years, the adequacy of collected water quality data and
the performance of existing monitoring networks have been seriously
evaluated for two basic reasons. First, an efficient information
system is required to satisfy the needs of water quality management
plans and to aid in the decision-making process. Second, this
system has to be realized under the constraints of limited
financial resources, sampling and analysis facilities, and
manpower. Problems observed in available data and shortcomings of
current networks have led researchers to focus more critically on
the design procedures used. The book is intended to present an
up-to-date overview of the current network design procedures and
develop basic guidelines to be followed in both the design and the
redesign of water quality monitoring networks. The book treats the
network design problem in a comprehensive and systematic framework,
starting with objectives of monitoring and elaborating on various
technical design features, e.g. selection of sampling sites,
sampling frequencies, variables to be monitored, and sampling
duration. The design procedures presented are those that the
authors have recently applied in a number of national and
international projects on the design and redesign of water quality
monitoring networks. Thus, the book covers real case studies where
not only the methods described in the earlier titles are used but
also new techniques are introduced. Where earlier methods are used,
they are assessed with respect to their efficiency and
applicability to real case problems. Audience: Essentially, the
framework adopted in the book applies as well to other hydrometric
data collection networks besides those of water quality. In this
respect, it is expected that planners, designers, scientists, and
engineers who are involved in hydrometric network design will
benefit from the in-depth approach assumed in this book. It will
also be of interest to research and data centers, international
programs and organizations related to environmental monitoring. The
book may also be used as a reference text in graduate courses of
water resources and environmental engineering programs.
Two basic tools for integrated management of the environment are
modeling and environmental data. Both tools were available and
valid in the past; however, the recent requirements for integrated
environmental management have also led to a significant evolution
of both modeling procedures and data management systems. Regarding
these advances, current literature provides vast amounts of studies
on modeling of different environmental processes. However, issues
related to data management systems are barely touched on in a
comprehensive framework. Data requirements and data availability
are mentioned merely as subtopics in most environmental studies,
although it is well recognized that data constitute the basis for
all environmental management activities. In particular, there is no
book yet published that focuses exclusively on data management
systems. In this respect, the present book fills an important gap
by providing a systematic approach to various aspects of
environmental data management. The contents of the book follow the
basic steps that constitute an environmental data management
system. These steps cover in sequence: collection of environmental
data for assessing air quality, surface water quality and solid
waste management; reliability considerations in data collection;
storage, handling and retrieval of available data; transfer of data
into information via data analysis and environmental modeling; and
finally the use of available data in decision-making for
environmental management. This volume will be useful to faculty
members, researchers, professional engineers, planners and
managers, and graduate students, who are involved in environmental
management, data collection anddissemination, and information
retrieval. It will also be of interest to research and data
centres, international programmes and organizations related to
environmental management.
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