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Figure 7 Links between database and report development in OECD countries Module
(as quoted in UNEP/DEIA 1996)

Questionnaire First data Second data Data production
development collection and collection and Statistics compendium
and testing processing processing:
? by questionnaire Data base
? from other sources
Plot compendium Abu Dhabi, UAE
Plot database

Data input Data gaps
Data needs Data needs Data input Joint

Determine report Development of Draft report SOE report
scope and report outline Editing and review Production and
structure Assembly of distribution
background
documents

Once the basic data are selected and collected, usually you will need to compile and store them in a
dedicated database, which might be also made available on the Internet. A database is an organized
collection of data that is used to bring together all information about the state and trends in the
environment, and may also include information about environmental policy, references to other data

sources and to current research. It is important to ensure the database has continuity, and is kept up
to date by linking it to monitoring systems, so that data generated through monitoring are fed into the
database. The environmental database can also be used to regularly publish printed documents, such
as environmental data compendia and indicator reports, to inform policy-makers and the public, and
to provide a snapshot overview of the state of the environment. In many countries, building such a
database is, or can be, a collaborative effort of various agencies, such as a central bureau of statistics,
environmental and related ministries (e.g., agriculture, water), as well as research organizations and non-
governmental organizations.

It may be useful to have the database already agreed and available by the time data collection is starting
so that data sets can be added one by one as they are identified. You may also find that the database
needs adjusting after you loaded the first data sets, particularly if you want to build in a wider range of
functions, like multiple search, display and analytic functions available through the internet.

IEA Training Manual Workshop for the National Reporting Toolkit (NRT) 37