NAVDEX, a helpful tool for the classification of environmental legislation

Since its launch in 1998 the thematic indexation of the Flemish Environmental Navigator is carried out manually by legal experts of the University of Ghent, Belgium. However, due to the exponential growth of legal documents a physical indexation process eventually was no longer tenable, nor desirable. Hence, a semi-automatic indexing tool for environmental legislation, called NAVDEX, was developed. A specific algorithm was determined, based On the presence of similar terms in law objects. A parameter was defined, reflecting the strength of the relation between law objects in order to computerise the return on a user's query. 1/7 view, of managing the relations between law objects, a visualisation tool was created in order to provide the legal experts with a detailed overview of all associated law Objects. The testing corpus was decided to be VLAREA, a Flemish order concerning waste prevention and management. The evaluation of the test results was carried out by experts in environmental legislation, who computed the relative recall of several search terms. With an average score of 0.63 NAVDEX is able to retrieve nearly two third of the associated law objects. Consequently the evaluators' conclusions were unanimous so as to define NAVDEX as a useful tool to determine and visualise associated LawObjects

IT service management: towards a contingency theory of performance measurement

Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) focuses on IT service creation, design, delivery and maintenance. Measurement is one of the basic underlying elements of service science and this paper contributes to service science by focussing on the selection of performance metrics for ITSM. Contingency theory is used to provide a theoretical foundation for the study. Content analysis of interviews of ITSM managers at six organisations revealed that selection of metrics is influenced by a discrete set of factors. Three categories of factors were identified: external environment, parent organisationand IS organisation. For individual cases, selection of metrics was contingent on factors such as organisation culture, management philosophy and perspectives, legislation, industry sector, and customers, although a common set of four factors influenced selection of metrics across all organisations. A strong link was identified between the use of a corporate performance framework and clearly articulated ITSM metrics

Large Scale Document Management System: Creating Effective Public Sector Knowledge Management System

The digital age has redefined the production process and utilisation of documents globally. In the information age, the process of input, delivery, storage, receipt, and categorization of data is critical. The public sector has to rely more and more on automated, reliable solutions in order to keep their information safe and readily accessible for effective governance. A document management system is a computer system used to track and store electronic documents and/or images of paper documents. The term has some overlap with the concepts of content management systems often viewed as a component of enterprise content management systems and related to digital asset management, document imaging, workflow systems and records management systems. This paper examines an ongoing document management implementation case study in a public sector of digital assets of over twelve million pages, scalable to billions of pages, highlighting the taxonomy, content and knowledge management creation using an enterprise content management system and discusses the role in national development and growt

An investigation into standards in sustainable design and manufacture

This paper reports upon the application of standards to reduce the negative environmental impacts of manufacturing through product lifecycle planning and closed loop production. By eliminating waste and retaining the energy embodied within materials and components, manufacturing can become more sustainable from both ecological and financial perspectives. Energy consumption and the associated carbon pollution can thus be minimised. Environmental Management System implementation is also considered

Setting an integrated soil monitoring system for Malta : strategy, feasibility and recommendations

Chapter 6Since 2010, MEPA has embarked on a project (which attracted co-funded ERDF assistance) (1) to develop a multi-thematic environment strategy that would lead to updating of its data/ information monitoring capabilities for a number of environmental sectors. The monitoring and continuous evaluation of soil properties is one important sector within this project. Essentially, a multi-criterion assessment of existing available information has been carried out with a view to objectively chart the most appropriate process to carry out a pilot field sampling by testing a pre-agreed set of indicators. The latter were established after taking into consideration all degradation pressures threatening the continued sustainability of this resource. Multi-criterion analysis was carried out by means of a limited set of soil-related datasets published in past editions of Malta’s State of the Environment Report in order to support a number of objectives stipulated within the Project’s ambitious Terms of Reference. Information was derived from earlier attempts to establish a soil information system for Malta. All soil degradation threats, officially determined by the European Commission’s Technical Working Groups, have been taken into consideration within the aforementioned project and its research methodology with a view of establishing a shared GIS environment in accordance with state-of-the-art information dissemination standards.peer-reviewe

The Precautionary Principle in Australia: Policy, Law & Potential Precautionary EIAs

Dr. Gullet argues that environmental impact assessments are a logical vehicle for factoring the precautionary principle into large-project-approval processes

Further improvement of the implementation of the Aarhus convention in Malta : a review

Chapter 2Th e Twinning project MT/06/IB/EN/01 “Further Institution Building in the Environment Sector” aimed at supporting the Maltese Government in improving the implementation of the Aarhus Convention on public access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision making and access to justice in environmental matters. Th e project was carried out by MEPA as Benefi ciary Institution and the Austrian Environment Agency as Lead Member State Partner. Th e project duration was 15 months as from 16th April 2008. Th e project was co-funded by the European Union and the Maltese Government under the 2006 Transition Facility Programme for Malta. Th e project consisted of four components: • Component 1: Assessment of the current situation and development of recommendations, • Component 2: Implementation of recommendations, • Component 3: Development of guidance documents, • Component 4: Training and awareness-raising. In Component 1, the legal instruments and institutional arrangements in place for the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Malta were assessed, and recommendations were drawn up on how to improve the existing situation with regard to public access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters. In Component 2, the recommendations were discussed with a wide range of stakeholders, and consequently applied in the practice, establishing an effi cient and eff ective administrative system to implement the Aarhus Convention. Amongst other measures, its implementation formulated a series of agreements between the benefi ciary and key holders of environmental information in Malta, with the aim of securing the availability, timeliness and quality of environmental data, supported by effi cient information management systems. In Component 3, guidelines were produced addressing the public authorities, the industry and the general public in Malta. Component 4 provided training for public offi cers and awareness-raising for key stakeholders and the general public. The most relevant project results are summarised in this chapter, as achieved under each Component.peer-reviewe

WoodCircus, Underpinning the vital role of the forest-based sector in the Circular Bioeconomy. D2.2 Resource Efficiency, Side Streams and Value Chain Analysis – WP2 Final Report

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