320 Chapter 7

7.10 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PLAYS A

ROLE IN ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN
HEALTH

Information technology (1T) has tremendous potential in the field of

environmental education and health as in any other field like business,
economics, politics or culture. Development of internet facilities, world-
wide web, geographical information system (GIS) and information
through satellites has generated a wealth of up-to-date information on
various aspects of environment and health. A number of softwares have
been developed for environment and health studies which are user
friendly and can help an early learner in knowing and understanding
the subject.

DATABASE ON ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Database is the collection of inter-related data on various subjects. Itis
usually in computerized form and can be retrieved whenever required.
In the computer the information of database is arranged in a systematic
manner that is easily manageable and can be very quickly retrieved.
There are several Distribution Information Centres (DICs) in
our country that are linked with each other and with the central
information network having access to international database.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India
has taken up the task of compiling a database on various biotie
communities. The comprehensive database includes wildlife database,
conservation database, forest cover database etc. Database is also
available for diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, fluorosis, etc. Some or

the important Information Systems are discussed here.

(a) Environmental Information System (ENVIS): The Ministry
of Environment and Forests realised the importance of Environmenta
Information and in December, 1982, established an Environmentau
| Information System (ENVIS) as a plan programme. The focus of EN
is on providing environmental information to decision makers, poley
planners, scientists and engineers and research workers all over tn
country,
d
ENVIS has a network of several participating institutions an
s,
organisations forming a number of nodes, known as ENVIS cenuo
&
which work with a Focal Point in the
Ministry of Environmen
 Human Population and the Environment 3 2 1

Forests. Due to its comprehensive network, ENVIS has been designed

as the National Focal Point (NFP) for INFOTERRA, a global
environmental information network of the United Nations Environ-
ment Programme (UNEP).
To strengthen ENVIS in disseminating information pertaining to
environment and sustainable development, ENVIS India is in the process
ofestablishing 85 ENVIS nodes of which 81 have already beenestablished,
which include government departments, institutions and NGO's.
These nodes are supposed to create websites on specific
environment related subject areas, establish linkages with all information
sources, and create databank on selected parameters in the subject,
Most
identify information gaps, publish newsletters and bulletins.
o n the assigned subject.
importantly they serve as interface for the users
of database in
The ENVIS centers work for generating a network
remote sensing, coastal
areaslike pollution control, clean technologies,
and Eastern Ghats, environmental
ecology, bíodiversity, Western Ghats renewable energy,
management, media related to environment,
ecology, mining, etc.
desertification, mangroves, wildlife, Himalayan
Health provides computerized
The National Institute of Occupational
health i.e. the health aspects of people
information on occupational
hazardous and non-hazardous industries, safety
various
working in
measures etc.
Environmental Information System are:
The major objective of
and dissemination centre in
t o build up a repository
and Engineering;
Environmental Science
of acquiring, processing,
modern technologies
. to gear up the d i s s e m i n a t i o n of information of
retrieval and
storage,
environmental nature.
and innovation
and promote research, development
to support
information technology.
in environmental servicerelevant
environmental information
to províde national
to meet the future
needs and capable to development
to present
needs, the
Information System (NMIS) of
(b) National Management a database on
has compiled
Department of Science and Technology with information
about
Projects along
Research and Development involved.
Tesearch scientists and personnel Satellite imageries
Information System (GIS):
( Geographical and biological
information about various physical
actual
provide us
 Human Population
and the Envronment

J
 Human Population and the Environment 323
World Wide Web (www): A vast quantum of current data is
available on World Wide Web.
Some important websites of organizations and publications in the
field of environment are
1. Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)
website: www.bhns.org
2. Centre for Environment Education (CEE), India
website: www.education.vsnl.com/cee/index.html.
3. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India
website: www.cseindia.org
4. Centre for Conservation Biology, Malden
website: www. Conbio.rice.edu
5. Centre for Environmental Information, New York
website: www.awa.com/nature/cei
6. Citizen'sclearing house for hazardous waste, USA
website: www.essential.org/orgs/cchw/cchw.html
7. Defenders of wild life
website: www.defenders.org
8. Earth, Waukesha, WI, USA
website: www.kalbach.com/earth/earthmag.html

9. Envirolink Network
www.envirolink.org8
10. Greenpeace
www.greenpeace.org
11. Indian Board of Wildlife
www.envfor.nic.inn

12. Environmental Protection Agency

www.epa.gov
13, Mine Safety and Health Administration

www.msha.gov
14. National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.org
DC
5, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington,
www.nrc.gov
 Human Population
and the Environment
 8
SF

U
ss

Human Populatlon
and fhe Environment
 Human Population
and the Environment
 Human Population and the Environment 327
3. Life expectancy over the globe has improved over the past century.
(True/False)
Andhra Pradesh has stabilized its population by paying incen-
tives to poor people whereas in Kerala it has been done by imn-
proved social justice. (True/False)
5. Population and poverty in developing countries usually lead to
violation of human rights. (True/False)
6. India is a signatoryto the World Declaration on Survival, Protec-
tion and development of children. (True/False)
7. GIS is a technique of superimposing spatial data using digital
information. (True/False)
8. GIS can prove very useful for land-use planning, however, it is
not useful for any atmospheric phenomena. (True/False)
The Draft Declaration on Human Rights provides for rights t
pollution free environment, rich biodiversity and good quality
Hfe, but does not give rights for public participation in environ-
mental decision making. (True/False)
on attaching
10. Value based environmental education emphasizes
monetary value to environmental components.(True/False)

C. FILL IN THE BLANKS

increases by a fixed percentage it is called
When a population
growth.
in a population are just equal to
2. When birth plus immigration
it is known as.
deaths plus emigration, due to
phenomenon of fall in death rates and birth rates
The to low population growth is
improved living conditions leading
called.
Universal Declaration of
Human Rights was given by the UNO
in the year
5. Full form of AIDS is. cells, thereby r e
decline in
6. HIV infected persons show
a

system.
ducing their immune
International Law in the year.
7 Rights of a child have become and well being of a child
to ensure measures for the protection
of Environment and
B, . has been constituted by the Ministry
various environmental aspects.
Forestsfor generating database on
 Human Population
and the Environment