9th International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment, Sochi, Rusya, 10 - 14 Kasım 2009, ss.115-126
The Black Sea catchment is internationally known as one of ecologically unsustainable development and inadequate resource management, which has led to severe environmental, social and economic problems. The EnviroGRIDS @ Black Sea Catchment project addresses these issues by bringing several emerging information technologies that are revolutionizing the way we are able to observe our planet. The Group on Earth Observation Systems of Systems (GEOSS) is building a data-driven view of our planet that feeds into models and scenarios to explore our past, present and future. EnviroGRIDS aims at building the capacity of scientist to assemble such a system in the Black Sea Catchment, the capacity of decision-makers to use it, and the capacity of the general public to understand the important environmental, social and economic issues at stake. EnviroGRIDS will particularly target the needs of the Black Sea Commission (BSC) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) in order to help bridging the gap between science and policy. This will allow the project to benefit from an existing large network of potential end-users and national authorities. In return these commissions will be able to use the results of the EnviroGRIDS project to accomplish their mission. EnviroGRIDS objectives, in particular, match perfectly those of the Black Sea Commission, enabling it to become a central piece of information system in the region. EnviroGRIDS will also build a strong collaboration with the new PEGASO project on integrated coastal zone management in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Indeed, understanding the relationships between the expected changes in the catchment area and the ongoing development of coastal zones is of crucial importance for the future of the Black Sea region.