GRID-Arendal: 30 Years of Making a Difference

GRID-Arendal led the implementation of UNEP’s Environmental Information Network (ENRIN) in Central and Eastern Europe to assist capacity building of environmental information networks in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The project’s objective is to improve the availability of State of the Environment Reports and other environmental data and information for decision-makers and the general public. GRID-Arendal was designated as the Implementing Agency for a UNEP project entitled Use of Geographic Information Systems in Agricultural Research Management . The project was designed to establish long-term cooperative links between UNEP and the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) to effectively integrate natural resource and socio-economic information into agricultural research activities at all levels, and to help develop the required data sets. Multimedia presentation of environmental data was developed by GRID-Arendal for the Oslo and Paris Commissions. In collaboration with the Norwegian State Pollution Control Authority (SFT), maps were produced for inclusion in the report Nutrients in the Convention Area . In cooperation with the Norwegian Mapping Authority, GRID- Arendal produced 40 maps and figures that were included in the publication Naturmiljøet i tall 1994 , which provides a comprehensive survey of data on natural resources, pollution and the state of the environment in Norway. GRID-Arendal hosted three international meetings – UNEP’s first high level regional user consultation on Earthwatch , the 7th Committee Meeting on the Environmental information Systems (EIS) programme for Sub-Saharan Africa , and the Russian Arctic Environmental Data Workshop . In collaboration with the Beijer Institute of Sweden, a comprehensive GIS database for the Baltic Sea Drainage Basin was developed.

1994