the environmental information system for the state of kuwait · the basis of the information...

The environmental information system for thestate of Kuwait

D AI-AjmiKuwait Institute For Scientific Research, Kuwait

Abstract

The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in collaboration withRegional Information Technology and Software Engineering Center (RITSEC)

in Egypt has embarked on an accelerated program to improve the information

capacity of KISR by creating a national Environmental Information System(EIS). The project’s first main task “ Global requirement specifications” wasjointly executed by the RITSEC and KISR teams. One of the main achievementsof this task is the clear laying out of the project scope, and the selection of themarine environment as the main area of concern. The needed information havebeen identified by two approaches, first is the definition of the informationrequired for subjects deal with various environmental aspects, and the second bythe definition of information which are important to the potential beneficiaries.The outputs of these two approaches resulted in the production of comprehensivelist of the needed information, and the definition of the main functions needed tosupport the different environmental aspects. Data availability y was investigated onthe basis of the information provided by KISR from different sources, in additionto the assessment of workload required for data conversion to digital format. Theuser orient EIS applications were identified. These included the GeographicalInformation System (GIS) applications, a data dictionary dealing with storing

and retrieval of valuable information from KISR’s final projects report, and thedevelopment of a selected environmental parameters system.

Introduction

Many countries have agreed that an environmentally sound sustainable

socioeconomic development is their utmost challenge for the 1990s and beyond,The majority of the countries within the Arabian Gulf region are currently

© 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved.Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] from: Development and Application of Computer Techniques to Environmental Studies, CA Brebbia and P Zannetti(Editors).ISBN 1-85312-909-7

embarking on the formation and implementation of national regional andinternational projects which have a common objective i.e., to preserve andproject the environment as a prerequisite for sustainable socioeconomicdevelopment.

Recent experiences with environmental issues have highlighted the need toimprove the information base upon which decisions are made. Rapid access toand integration of available information resources is essential to support thedecision-making process for environment and natural resources managementissues. Thus, providing decision makers with environmental information in acomprehensive, balanced, accurate and timely manner is essential for theformulation of environmental, policies, strategies and programs.

Kuwait is facing many socioeconomic challenges caused by variousenvironmental] y related issues. The lack of environmental information makes itdifficult to decision makers and policy makers to achieve the national goal ofsustainable development.

One of the important goals of KISR is to provide technical support to thegovernment of Kuwait in several fields including environmental studies, KISRshould be able to provide information to the government agencies that arerequired to enhance the decision-making process in environmentally relatedissues. Therefore, the establishment of an EIS that would enable KLSR’Smanagement to act promptly on any relevant request was deemed necessary.

The conceptual structure of EES consists of a number of integratedfunctional segments that are designed to secure the acquisition, management,dissemination and use of information (Fig. 1). The basic segments which in thedatabase for different environmental parameters, should be developed orformulated by those agencies and institutions responsible for environmentalmonitoring. These databases provide the required inputs for the main componentof the EIS, which is the integrated Geographic Information System (GIS). Thethird level in the conceptual structure deals with the reporting and publishingcapabilities. The EIS will enhance KISR capabilities in producing environmentalmonitoring reports, as will as periodic flash reports to highlight one or moreenvironmental issues. The fourth level of the system deals with the DecisionSupport Systems (DSS). This will help scientists and experts to integrateenvironmental and socioeconomic information to support decision-makingprocess.

Contacts, bilateral discussions and communications between KISR andRITSEC resulted in the formulation of a project proposal and detailed workplan for the development of an integrated national environmental informationbase at KISR.


Fig. 1. Kuwait’s environmental information system conceptual structure

The main objectives of the project are the establishment of the state-of-the-art GIS database for the marine environment and facilitating theoptimum utilization of available relevant information through upgrading KISRcapabilities. The project will also enhance the public awareness and decisionsupport activities.

It was agreed that the scope of the project be limited to the marineenvironment and industrial effluent areas. Database remote sensing and GISapplications needed to be developed for continuous data flow and periodiccollection. This includes both geographical and non-geographical data.

Several studies covering many issues related to Kuwait’s environment havebeen carried out by the Environmental and Earth Sciences Division (EES), theFood Resources Division (FRD) and the Water Resources Division (WRD) atKISR,as a result of these studies, several databases comprising both raw andmanaged data have been created and are available at KISR. Additional databasesof environmentally related information are available within other agencies suchas the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Shuaiba Area Authority–Environmental Protection Center (SAA-EPC); the Water ResourcesDevelopment Center (WRDC) of the Ministry of Electricity and Water; theEnvironmental Protection and Engineering Center of the Ministry of PublicWorks, and The Public Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries Resources. Fig 2has the different organizations that have expressed interest in the EIS.

The project is organized to comprise six tasks. The first is concerned withthe assessment of what is required for the establishment of the system. Thesecond task focuses on the conceptual design and information infrastructurerequirements, while the third task concentrates on the detailed system design andapplications. The fourth task deals with the implementation of the system and thedeveloped applications, followed by installation and testing. The fifth taskfocuses on the production of the expected outputs. The training activities are the


final task of the project, which concentrates on training related to the developedsystems and applications.

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Fig 2: Organization Interested in the Environmental Information

Achievements

For the preparations of the information requirement specifications, the

following activities were performed:(a) Definition of the information needs and identification of the Data

Subject Areas (DSAS)(b) Description of the highest level functions needed to be performed,

unconstrained by existing main activities, that deal with areas ofenvironmental interest

(c) Assessment of the data availability and workload required for dataconversion to digital format.

(d) Development of the outlines of the required systems and applicationsfor the EIS project.

Information Needs

Information needs assessment is implemented based on the concepts of theinformation engineering methodology, the main activities performed are:


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(a) Defining the information needs to support the major aspects to betackled for environmentally sustainable marine management andpollution control.

(b) Defining thedifferent data subject measrepresenting the major datacategories relevant to the scope and objectives of the EIS (each DSAis to be fully described).

(c) Testing the completeness of the defined DSAS to obtain acomprehensive overview of the types of information needed andproduction of the finalized list of DSAS.

Information Needs to Support the Major EnvironmentalAspects

The main information needs were defined through extensive meetings andinterviews with environmental experts in Kuwait. The following is the approachfollowed for the definition of the required information.

1. Formulation of a list of the major problems facing the marineenvironment, This includes: industrial and domestic waste water

discharge from different sources in seawater, oil pollution, land fillingand dredging, over fishing, recreational activities that affectenvironment, hazardous material transport, industries, oil explorationactivities, problems facing navigation channels, and over utilization ofmarine resources. Information needed to assess these problems is given(Table 1).

2. The meteorological and oceanographic characteristics are two mainareas that need continuous monitoring. Time series information isneeded to assess the status of marine environment and the effect ofhuman activities. The meteorological and oceanographic parametersare illustrated (Table 2).

Table 1. Information needed to assess marine environmental problems

Information needed to assess Major parameters

1- Effect of cooling water ● Thermal pollutiondischarged from power / ● Residual chlorine in cooling waterdesalination plants . Polyphosphates Hydrocarbons

2- Effect of discharge ofindustrialEffluents

I

I

. LegislationTotal Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH)Total Organic Carbon (TOC)Chemical Oxygen Dissolved (COD)Biological Oxygen Dissolved (BOD)Heavy metals (e.g. nickel andmercury)Trace organicsToxicityThermal pollution


I T,e~islation—.0----------}- Effect of oil exploration TPH

Oil slicksTar ball distribution

Sea birdsBrine waterLegislation

$- Near polluted areas affected by BOD

discharge sewage and storm Microbiology

water Total coliformFeacal coliformDissolved Oxygen (DO) SolidsTurbidityOil greaseNutrientsLegislation

5- Problems facing navigation TPH

channels Dredging frequencyHeavy metals (e.g. nickel andmercury)Suspended Particulate Matter(SPM)DebrisLegislation

6- Problems facing recreational Debris

Activities and resort areas LandfillsOil hydrocmbonsMicrobiologyTurbidityNutrientsLegislation

7- Natural oil seeps effect TPHTar ball distribution

8- Over fished areas Fish stockLegislation

9- Hazardous material transport Number of shipsRoutesMaterial typeQuantityLegislation

10- Utilization of marine Recreational

resources TransportationOil explorationDesalinationCooling WaterFishing


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11- Efficient management Stock assessmentLocation of nursery habitatsBiological productivityBreeding seasonWater quality and degree of pollutionLegislation

12- Environmermdlly sensitive areas CurrentsWater quality for inlet/outlet ofdesalination plants.Capacity to assimilate wasteSensitivityMorphology and character of theshorelinePopulation densityNursery habitatFish distributionProximity to harbors andnavigation channelsLegislation

Table 2. Information needed to follow up of meteorological andoceanographic characteristics.

Information needs to follow up

1- Meteorological Properties

2- Physical and ChemicalO~eanographicCharacteristics

I

r~ Biological OceanographicCharacteristics

Major parameters

WindAir temperatureHumidityPrecipitationCloud coverAtmospheric pressureWater clarity characteristics WavesCurrentsWater temperatureSea surface levelSPMShoreline and near shoredepthMorphological changes NutrientsSalinitypHDOSedimentation

Planktonic forms distributionBiological significant Marine waterproductivity


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3. To assess marine usage and its environmental effects, the

following are required:(a)(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

Fisheries: an important natural resource in Kuwait.Transportation: The Sea is the principal means of transportation inKuwait; through which considerable amounts of oil and non-oilmaterials are shipped around the world, a number of oil tankers

pass through the area everyday which affect the marineenvironment.Recreation: since the coasts provide the mot attractive recreationalfacilities and recreational centers, continuous improvement,conservation and management of the coastal zone are essential.Discharge: the marine area is used as a discharge medium forsewage and storm water, industrial effluents and cooling waterfrom power/desalination plants. Pollution from these sourcesshould be controlled.Nature reserves (parks): nature reserves are important aspects fromboth environmental and economic perspectives.Drinking water resources: desalination plants are the major sourceof freshwater in Kuwait. Power generation and water desalinationprocesses usually take in and discharge large volumes of sea waterfor cooling.

The major information needs to follow up, control, develop and assess themarine usage for different uses types is giving(Table 3).

Table 3. Information needed to follow up, control, develop and assess marineusage

Information needed to assess Major parameters

1- Fisheries Fisheries typesOrganizations involved in fisheriesactivitiesVessels

GearsRegulationsAquiculture

2- Transportation VesselsPortsNavigation ChannelsLoading and unloading terminalsCargo quality and quantityLegislation

\ Pollutants

3- Recreation I Activities impact on marineenvironmentNear-shore marineCharacteristic


Waste discharges

Near-shore seepageShore textureLegislation’sCapacity of tourist facilities

4- Discharge Volume and rates of discharge fromvarious sourcesQuality of discharge

5- Natural Reserve (Park) LocationCharacteristicsSpecies of animals and plantsEnvironmental sensivityVisitor numbersEconomic values

6- Power and desalination Locationplants Power generated

Freshwater outputQuantity and Characteristics ofcooling waterDischarged

Classification of Information Needs

The defined information needs were classified in the light of the EIS expectedbeneficiaries into several categories, called Data Subject Areas (DSAS). Thedescriptions of these DSAS are as follows:

1- Study Area: Information on the area under investigation, includes: aislands, oil reserves areas, residential areas, a monitoring sites,

economic activities (e.g. harbors, recreation areas and industrial areas),and near-shore areas (i.e. the shoreline and territorial water). Itcomprises feature name, description of that feature and itsgeographical location.

2- Coastal Area Characteristic: Information describes the different areasof the coastal zone. It comprises area name, coastal zone type, length,biological significance of the ecosystem and the suitability of thedescribed area.

3- Geographical Data: Information on different types of maps, aerialphotography as well as satellite data. It comprises map or image name,

type, scale, technical data (e.g., map projection) and source (e.g.,Landsat satellite image).

4- Industrial Effluents: Information on the discharge of industrialeffluents into the seawater. It comprises monitoring location for theindustrial effluents, total volume discharged for a defined period of

time from each outlet, the rate discharged per unit time, sources of


5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

11-

12-

industrial effluents at each location, physical and chemical analysis ofthe sea water samples collected near outlet.Information Sources: Information on the sources of different types ofgeographical and tabular data that will be selected and collected toestablish the EIS databases. It comprises data source, data name, datatype, data periodicity and type of data medium containing the selectedinformation (e.g., reports and magnetic medium)Legislation: Information on the legislation issued to controlenvironmental quality, which addresses standard for specificparameters. It comprises number and date of issued law, specificparameters standard, the value of this standard and the penaltiesassigned,Meteorological Parameters: Information concerning climatic data thatare generally monitored regularly. It consists of ambient air

temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind speed for specifiedwind direction, and cloud cover and precipitation.Oceanographic Characteristics: Information on physical, chemical andbiological sea water characteristics. It consists of physicalcharacteristics (e.g., water salinity, current speed, wave and tideproperties, water temperature and pH), chemical characteristics (e.g.trace metals, carbon dioxide) biological characteristics (e.g.,

distribution and abundance of planktonic forms).Oil Industry: Information on oil exploration, refineries andpetrochemical industries. This DSA comprises oil and gas explorationlocations, production quantity by oil type, especially in off - shorelocations, refinery production quantity by oil type, oil consumptionexports from raw oils and petrochemical industry production andexports by typeOil pollution: Information on the sources of oil pollution, volume andcontainment action. This DSA comprises estimated volume of naturaloil seepage location and frequency, volume of oil spills from oilloading operations, locations and quantities by oil type and source ofpoIlution and oil spill containment procedures and ultimate fate.Population: Information on population and other demographic data,which can be correlated with environmental issues. This DSAcomprises Population size: Kuwaiti and Non Kuwaiti, educationalstatus, literacy and income level in addition to population growth rate,Recreational Activities: Information on the extent and patterns of thepresent utilization of the coastal/marine environment for recreationalpurposes. This DSA comprises recreational establishments bylocation, activity (e.g. hotel, cafeteria and restaurants), capacity, andnumber and occupation of visitors, Recreational sites including beachresorts and protected areas are categorized by location, facilities (e.g.,marine power boats, water spots), size and number of visitors. Landfillresulting from recreational activities are grouped by locations, width,length, material and studies available for the area,


13-

14-

15-

16-

17-

18-

Sewage and Storm Water Discharge: Information on sewage andstorm water discharged in the marine seawater. This DSA comprisesthe location of waste water treatment plants and the location ofdischarge outlets, volume of sewage and storm water discharged intoseawater, treatment plant capacity for secondary and tertiary sewagewater treatment, actual volume, and quality parameters for the treatedsewage water.Species: Information on valuable species for both plants and animals(e.g., fish, sea and shore birds, pearl, oysters and coral reefs). ThisDSA comprises location, location characteristics, scientific andcommercial names, distribution, abundance and economic importance.Sedimentation: Information on the structure and composition ofseawater surface and bottom sediment. This DSA comprises location,water depth, sediment structure by grain size and trace elements inmarine sediment,Transportation: Information on harbor activities, the construction ordevelopment of harbors or terminals, damage caused by accidents andtransportation of hazardous substances, This DSA comprises harborname, location, handling facilities, supporting vessels, loading andunloading quantities of commodity groups, accident locations,descriptions, actions taken, duration and effects of accidents affectingnavigation channels, dredging locations, depths, frequencies ofdredging, quantity of disposal volume from the dredging process.Quality Standards: Information on standards (guidelines parameters)used to determine the range for environmental quality assurance. ThisDSA comprises quality standards information sources, name ofparameters, recommended values or ranges for these parameters anddescriptions of any prerequisite for the parameter.Standard Analytical Method: Information on the standard analyticalmethods used for the analysis of collected samples for marine qualitycontrol are taken from various sources (e.g., Marine Oil PollutionAnalytical Methods , US Environmental Protection Agency) ThisDSA comprises the source organization’s name, the environmentalcategory, the analytical method number, the parameters measured, anda description of the implementation of the method.

Finalizing the List of the Data Subject Areas

The completeness of the DSAS was achieved by a matrix that correlates theinformation needs for each issue, with the identified DSAS. The issues wererepresented in the columns of the matrix, and the DSAS in its rows, Thecompleteness of the DSAS was tested from the point of view of covering alltypes of information needed to tackle the different environmental issues. Basedon the identification of the information types that are not included in the existingDSAS list, new data subject areas were formulated and added to the list. TheseDSAS are:


1- Environment Quality: This DSA would contain the parametersselected for global environmental quality assessment and otherparameters not included in other DSAS. The information neededincludes environmental category, monitoring organization, monitoring

site, location, parameter selected, and corresponding parameter values.2- Environmental Programs and Projects: This DSA is concerned with

basic information about the scope, objectives, areas studied, andorganizations involved in each project. This DSA will be used torecord information about the various projects. Such information can beused as references in combination with the information recorded inother DSAS

3- Economics: This DSA includes all types of economic information thataffect Kuwait’s sustainable development activities, including

petroleum industry, power generation, desalination, transportation,recreation, fishing and economic indicators.

4- Social: This DSA is concerned with the basic types of informationrelated to socioenvironmental status, including education, health andsocial information. The finalized list of the DSAS and theirrelationship (Fig3)

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Fig 3: Diagrammatic Sketch of Data Subject Areas Relationship

High-1evel Environmental Functions

The objective of this section is the identification of the highest functionsneeded to be performed by the concerned agencies within the context of themarine environment. To achieve this objective several meetings and discussions


with organizations interested in EIS were conducted in Kuwait. In addition theinformation related to strategic goals, missions and objectives of theenvironmental concerned organizations were analyzed. The organizations oftenattempt to organize themselves into functional units (e.g., environmentalprotection department, and research department), so the organizational structure

of the environmentally concerned agencies in Kuwait is helpful to check thecompleteness of the high-level functions.The main functions related to environmental activities can be classified into threecategories namely:

(a) Major strategic functions: include formulating policies and strategies,formulating planning guidelines and directions, and developing legalinstruments.

(b) Major management functions: include planning, coordinatingenvironmentally-related activities, implementing projects, andassessment and evaluation.

(c) Operational functions: include monitoring environmental qualityparameters, and snapshots surveying of specific parameters.

The detailed results of the high level environmental functions are described

as follows:

Major Strategic Functions

Formulating policies and strategies concerning:

+ Sustainable utilization of marine resources

+ Sustainable development and environmental protection

+ Scientific research policies (e.g., environmental assessment, protectionand development)

+ Transfer and adoption of advanced technology

+ Promotion and expansion of environmental awareness

+ Definition of national environmental information policies andstrategies

Formulating planning guidelines and potential directions for:

+ Sustainable coastal zone development

+ Enhancement of institutional capacity

+ Environmental research

+ Protection of human health

Development of the legal instrument for:

+ Environmental protection+ Sustainable development

Major Management Functions

Planning for the following Areas:

+ Environmental protection projects

+ Sustainable marine and coastal zone development


+ Environmental research

+ Environmental monitoring activities

+ Information systems and applicationsCoordination of the following environmentally related activities

+ Environmental protection

+ Sustainable development

+ Research

+ EISS

Implementation of the planned projects in the following areas:

+ Marine and coastal zone protection and sustainable development

+ Research

+ Monitoring

+ EISS

Assessing and evaluating the following:

+ Coastal and marine ecosystem

+ Environmental coastal zone risk areas

o General health impact in existing areas of human activity

+ Toxicity of crude oil and its effect on marine life

+ Resources and capabilities of environmental institutions

Operational Functions

Monitoring of environmental quality parameters including:o Air pollutiono Marine pollutiono Point-sources of pollution (i.e., industrial effluents and sewage and

storm water discharges)

Snapshots surveying of the following

+ Specific projects

+ Specific studies

+ Emergency situation

The above-defined high-level environmentally related functions aredemonstrated in Fig. (4)


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Fig. 4. High Level Functions

Conclusions

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The global requirement specifications were elaborated through extensivemeetings and discussions with environmental experts at KISR and theorganizations that have expressed interest in EIS.The scope of the project was defined and agreed upon jointly by KISR andRITSEC, the environmental areas included are the marine environmental andindustrial activities that use seawater as a discharge medium,The information needs have been elaborated by two approaches; thedefinition of the information for major issues, i.e., environmentallysustainable marine management, problem identifications, pollution controland development of marine resources utilization and the for definition of thetypes of information important to the expected beneficiaries. Results attainedare grouped into main categories called DSAS. The completeness of the DSASwas checked by relating of data sets with the information needed for thedifferent environmental issues.The major functions supporting the different environmental developmentaspects within the marine environment are classified as, major strategicfunctions, major management fimctions, and operation functions.The data availability and conversion workload were assessed by defining thedata producing agencies, documenting the data provided by KISR and dataanalysis.The EIS applications were identified, these includes, GIS applications,establishment of data dictiomwy system and development of a selectedenvironmental quality parameters.


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