Beatona.net – communication of environmental data to the public in Kuwait

About Beatona.net

The search for environmental information in Kuwait has been a challenge for the citizens and residents of Kuwait for a long time. They have usually ended up with a set of outdated and contradictory information emerging from various organizations and institutions working on the environment in Kuwait. Accordingly, Kuwait Environment Public Authority (EPA) has taken the initiative to establish Kuwait Official Environmental Portal "Beatona.net" in order to share authentic environmental information about Kuwait with the public over the internet in an easy and transparent manner. Beatona (our environment) is the Arabic name chosen for this portal, which is a key component and output of the Environmental Monitoring Information System of Kuwait (eMISK).

eMISK - GeoDatabase

The infrastructure for the eMISK geodatabase has been put in place, along with all hardware and software components. Assessment of user needs and data modelling were implemented by a team of experts to come up with the requirement analysis and recommendation for the design of eMISK geodatabase and systems, which will form the backbone of Kuwait EPA data repository. Eleven data domains are identified to organise data within eMISK geodatabase; each domain represents an environmental sector.

eMISK - Enterprise GIS

The main user interface of eMISK Enterprise		Kuwait’s Environment Public Authority (Kuwait EPA), provides leadership in the nation's environmental science, research, monitoring, education and assessment efforts. It works closely with other federal agencies and local government organizations to develop and enforce regulations under existing environmental laws. Kuwait EPA is responsible for setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs, monitoring and enforcing compliance.
Where national standards are not met, Kuwait EPA can issue sanctions and take other steps to assist the state in reaching the desired levels of environmental quality. The Authority also works with industries and with all levels of government bodies in a wide variety of pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts.

Spatial Data Modeling and Management, Course Material, Irrigation and Hydraulics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt (2004)

In the framework of the TEMPUS project “New curriculum for training courses in GIS – NCGIS”, GISCON assisted the University of Braunschweig, Germany in the preparation and development of course material for the post graduate education in the faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University. Two chapters entitled “Spatial Data Modeling” and “Data Management” were developed and taught by GISCON to the academic staff of three departments of the faculty. These are the Irrigations and Hydraulics, the Public Works and the Urban Planning departments.

The Drainage Water Network of the State of Lower Saxony (2002-2003) and the State of Bavaria (2003-2004), Germany

An UML-based data modeling for the drainage water network of the State of Lower Saxony, Germany, was developed by GISCON in preparation for the digital drainage system according to the European Union water guidelines. This included data integration, data processing, documentation of all processes and tailored training. The whole project was conducted once again for the State of Bavaria in 2003-2004.

Focus on upcoming events, operating projects or staff requirement

Improvement of information content