Design of an Information System for Environmental Planning and Management (SIPA)

A conceptual basis and general structure of an information system for environmental planning and management is described is described. This framework is being developed by the Universities of Madrid and La Laguna (Canary Islands) to facilitate the environmental policies of central and regional governments in Spain. Environmental information, selected from a large set of data concerning soils, water, atmosphere, flora and fauna, and socio-economic factors, is used in the analysis of well-defined "environmental problems". These environmental problems (EP) are the structuring elements of the information system, and their management is simulated by trial-and-error models. EP are understood as anomalous situations which affect the ecological and socio-economic quality of the environment.