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Introduction
This report presents the results achieved by the Information Management Regional Thematic Center in implementing the project “Creation of the Web Site of the UNDP–GEF Dnipro Basin Environment Program” supported by the grant No. 10051205 095 administered by the International Development Research Center (IDRC, Canada). The main goal of the project is to provide free access to information about the condition of the environment in the Dnipro basin, goals, objectives and progress of the UNDP–GEF Program and to disseminate this information via electronic means by creating a Program web site and improving the network of information exchange between the participant countries, first of all between the National Program Management Committees and Regional Thematic Centers.
Annotation
This report presents the results of stage-by-stage implementation by the Information Management Regional Thematic Center of the project “Creation of the UNDP–GEF Dnipro Basin Environment Program Web Site” supported by the grant No. 10051205 095 administered by the International Development Research Center (IDRC, Canada). The report presents information about the web site’s structure and content and gives examples of its pages.
1. PROJECT STAGES
1.1. Stage 1
During the project’s first stage (November 2001 – April 2002), the Information Management Regional Thematic Center was provided an Internet connection via a 64К dedicated line in order to create the web site and develop its content. The web site's ideology and structure were developed, and the home page, work pages and pages of all UNDP–GEF Program’s Regional Thematic Centers were designed.
Domain name www.dnipro-gef.net was registered and trouble-free operation of the web site's pilot version was ensured under a contract made with Internet service provider Svit Online and telecommunication company Golden Telecom.
1.2. Stage 2
During the project’s second stage (March 2002 – December 2002), the web site's information content was expanded, and the pilot version was transformed into a permanent site. The home page is shown on Fig. 1. A plan of information exchange between Program participants was developed in order to optimize the process of posting materials of practical interest for a wide circle of users.
Fig. 1. Home page of the UNDP–GEF Dnipro Basin Environment Program web site
The following was done in accordance with the recommendations developed in the process of PMU interim evaluation:
- The list of www.dnipro-gef.net web site support personnel and their duties was presented to PMU. The webmaster’s e-mail address was posted on the home page.
- A schedule was developed for an IM RTC representative to visit the PMU Office in order to collect information for the web site.
- Information for the web site’s updates was collected regularly.
- An electronic map of the Dnipro basin within Belarus, Russia and Ukraine was created. A pilot version of the map and than its final version were posted on the site in a separate directory.
- Information in the News section was completely revised.
- The Dnipro Ecology menu was revised in accordance with PMU requirements.
- The Photo Album was added in the main menu.
- The Informational Resources section was finished. In particular, detailed information about Dnipro basin organizations participating in the Program from the three countries and links to their web sites were posted on the site.
In the process of consultations with PMU and IDRC, a decision was taken to keep improving the web site. In particular, it was decided to make some changes in the appearance of all pages, develop a more friendly user menu and optimize the content of the site’s sections and subsections.
2. WEB SITE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
At present, the site has the following structure: home page (in Russian and English) and thematic pages (in Russian and English). The informational part of the site has the following sections and subsections:
Dnipro basin map (presents a map of the Dnipro basin within Europe and the basin’s Belarus, Russian and Ukrainian, Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Dnipro basin map on the web site
News (provides up-to-date information about all past and future Program activities. The section has a news archive). The News start page is shown on Fig. 3.
Fig. 3. News start page
About the Program. The section has the following subsections:
- Summary (information about the Program);
- Prerequisites for Implementation (information about the Dnipro basin and problems that exist);
- Goals (Program goals and objectives);
- Structure (Program management diagram);
Program Management. This section has the following subsections:
- Program Management Group (PMU’s goals, how to contact managers);
- Belarus National Program Management Committee (members of the Belarus National Committee);
- Ukrainian National Program Management Committee (members of the Ukrainian National Committee);
- Russian National Program Management Committee (members of the Russian National Committee).
Executing agencies. The section provides information about all partner organizations of the Program. Each of the organizations has a separate page:
- GEF (general information about GEF and its role and tasks in the Program);
- IDRC (general information about IDRC and its role and tasks in the Program);
- IDRC in Kyiv (link to IDRC Kyiv Office’s web site);
- UNDP (general information about UNDP and its role and tasks in the Program);
- UNIDO (general information about UNIDO and its role and tasks in the Program);
- UNEP (general information about UNEP and its role and tasks in the Program);
- MAGATE (general information about MAGATE and its role and tasks in the Program).
Thematic Centers
- General information (RTCs’ role and tasks in the Program);
- Pollution Prevention and Control;
- Clean Production;
- Biodiversity;
- Legislative Aspects;
- Pollution Monitoring;
- Information Management.
These subsections contain the pages of Regional Thematic Centers. Each of these pages provides contact information about the RTC’s managers, coordinators and members of the International Expert groups and includes the RTC’s program and a description of its activities. An example of an RTC page is shown on Fig. 4.
Fig. 4. Start page of the Pollution Monitoring Regional Thematic Center
Program Reports. This section has the following subsections:
- Program Reports (this subsection contains reports under individual projects prepared by Program participants);
- IDRC Reports (this subsection has all reports under projects funded by IDRC);
- Database (this subsection presents a database of chemical composition of surface water in the Ukrainian part of the Dnipro basin). An example of visualization of a user query is shown on Fig. 5;
- Expeditions (this subsection has information about the main results of international expeditions in the Dnipro basin)
Fig. 5. Example of visualization of a user database query
TDA. The start page of this section provides general information about TDA and the report’s annotation and contents (Fig. 6). The full text of the report can be downloaded from here.
Fig. 6. TDA start page
SAP. This section contains detailed methodological recommendations concerning the procedure of developing the Dnipro basin environmental rehabilitation strategy.
Public Participation. Subsections:
- Small Grants Program (general information about the Program’s goals, objectives and conditions, links to pages of the Small Grants Program in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine with information on specific projects and reports);
- Press Releases (press releases of Program participants on what has been done);
- NGO Forum (general information about NGO’s goals and objectives within the Program and about what has been done).
Informational resources. This section has the following subsections:
- Newsletter (contains all issues of the Program Newsletter with annotations and full texts);
- Publications (contains annotations of printed environmental publications);
- Links (a large collection of links to official web sites of the ministries of the participant countries and to the sites of various environmental organizations);
- Legislation (contains information about the participant countries’ regulations aimed at Dnipro basin environmental rehabilitation);
- Archives (contains full texts of all documents drafted within the Program).
Forum. This section serves as a tool of on-line exchange of environmental information and opinions. A Forum page is shown on Fig. 7.
Fig. 7. Forum start page
Photo Album. This section presents a collection of thumbnailed photographs with views of the Dnipro and its tributaries (Fig. 8).
Contacts. The section provides contact information on the managers and personnel of the Kyiv office of PMU, IDRC and UNIDO.
Links. This section provides links to official web sites of government agencies working within the Dnipro in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
It must be noted that IM RTC constantly improves the appearance of the site’s pages and updates their content. IM RTC’s management has plans to provide for funding for the web site after the project is completed.
Fig. 8. Photo Album start page