The Clearing House Mechanism Workshop view some of the pictures here

Why clearinghouse?

The clearinghouse mechanism target is simply to build up a networking and a special dataset that aims to improve coordination and participation among the member states. Moreover, it will also enable free and open access and exchange of accurate, scientific, technical and Environment Information and simultaneously identify gaps and constraints where extra efforts needs to be converged to face the new challenges.

How do we get there?

To achieve this we need to develop human resource and infrastructure capacities towards a new tool called the Geographic Information System (GIS). This software has several inbuilt functions that can capture, store, query, analyse, display and generate outputs in a variety of real world formats such as maps, reports and graphs. This requirement is of utmost importance to the working groups to set up the one stop shop database.

The clearinghouse project will service the important administrators with an efficient tool that can organize, store and display information as in the real world because the dataset will be a collection of thematic layers linked by the geography. For example, you can put all the streets in one layer, all the public beaches in another layer, all the land use areas, all the climate and environmental parameters in other separate layers.

Think of the dataset as a large onion. When you peel it you will notice that it is composed of many layers. Real world entities can be visualized in the same way. The dataset we are planning can be peeled into many layers each representing a different theme and visualized either independently or as a combination of themes.

This simple but powerful and versatile concept has proven very valuable for solving real world problems from tracking delivery vehicles to model global atmospheric circulation.

The first capacity building workshop on Geographic Information System was held at the Regional Meteorological Research and Training Centre with the support of UNEP, Mauritius Meteorological Services, NODC and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius.