Background

One significant challenge in projects is the work on harmonisation, integration and standardization to existing communities and initiatives. Therefore strategies are needed in order to communicate project results to environmental communities for a maximization of the impact as well as for the contribution to ongoing standardization efforts and free software initiatives.

The Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) is one of three major initiatives along with the Directive and the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) undertaken by Europe to collect and share environmental information for the benefit of the global society.

Different efforts are now emerging towards the creation of infrastructures and platforms for Environmental Information Systems and Services – including Infrastructures for flexible discovery and chaining of distributed environmental services.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have an essential role to play in the context of Environmental systems as they provide the necessary support in terms of tools, systems and protocols to establish a dynamic environmental space of collaboration in a more and more sophisticated digital world. Core challenges are not only related to providing seamless environmental data access to public authorities, businesses and the public at large, but also to allowing for interoperable environmental services based on Web technologies, and stimulating new market opportunities. ICT for environmental collaboration is widely recognised as a major step for addressing complex management issues including adaptation to climate change and sustainable management of urban environment. The European Commission recently funded several projects in the area of ICT for Sustainable Growth, with a core focus on ICT for Environmental Services and Climate Change aiming at providing the foundations for an infrastructure for monitoring, predicting and managing the environment and its natural resources.

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