COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION SYSTEM OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR VENEZUELA 
Alicia Moreau 1), Claudio Capone 1), Claire Gosselin 2), Serge Kena-Cohen 
2) and Shully I. Solomon 3). 
ABSTRACT 
Environmental problems are numerous and complex in Venezuela. The search 
for rational and effective solutions to these problems requires as a first 
step the obtaining of as accurate and as comprehensive as possible data on 
the various components of the natural environment (land, vegetation, 
water, and air) as well as on the changes occuring in it due to natural 
causes or to man. Following a series of studies carried out by the 
Ministry of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources of Venezuela 
with assistance from the World Meteorological Organization and the 
Canadian International Development Agency, it became obvious that, under 
the conditions prevailing in Venezuela, it is not practically feasible to 
use conventional methods for obtaining the required environmental data. A 
useful environmental information system requires the application of 
advanced computer techniques enabling the combination of data on the 
various interacting components of the environment to improve the accuracy 
and areal extent of the information available for each of the components, 
as well as the combination of remotely sensed data obtained from various 
types of satellites with the limited data obtained by conventional 
techniques. The efficient management of the various sources of data and 
the application of models enabling the combination of data from various 
fields and sources for the above mentioned purposes requires the 
development and implementation of a geographic, meteorological, 
hydrological and socio-economical information system. A first phase of a 
study for developing such an information system has been recently 
completed and a second phase has been initiated. The paper describes some 
of the results of the first phase and discusses the objectives of the 
second one. 
1) Ministerio del Ambiente y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Caracas 
Venezuela. 
2) Photosur Géomat Inc., 1100 Blvd. Rene Levesque W., Montreal, Quebec, 
Cañada. 
3) University of Waterloo, Waterloo. Ontario, Cañada. 
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