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The CEPNET/IDB Project is reaching the final stages of its implementation. The Project will officially be completed and closed at the end of January 1999. By that time, each of the six Pilot Network Program countries should have their clearinghouse nodes fully operational and self-sufficient. The clearinghouse nodes will contain descriptions of the participating agencies in each country, environmental information and reports, metadata about the agencies' marine and coastal data, and the country's "State of the Coasts" Report. Through this network of data providers and users, persons in the countries of the Wider Caribbean Region and worldwide can access environmental information and data, and share coastal zone management strategies.
The second round of training was finished at the end of September. This set of workshops were held in Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, and focused on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Web-based GIS, and coastal and marine applications of GIS technology. Hands-on ArcView training was included in the form of an exercise relating to coastal erosion. The goal of the training was to give the participants in each country the skills necessary for preparing the country "State of the Coasts" Report utilizing existing data, the Internet and GIS technology. This Report will provide an overview of the status of the country's coastal and marine resources, coastal management issues and human impact, and will reside on each country's clearinghouse node Web site. The report will also demonstrate a case study relating to a practical coastal zone management application, which will be of relevance to the Wider Caribbean Region as a whole.
A large portion of the hardware and software purchased for the participating countries has now been delivered, following the signing of the Letter of Agreement for the country workplans. The purchases include computers, servers, printers, scanners, and GIS and Web page creation software, depending on the needs of each of the countries.
Bahamas will become the first country to join the Project Technical Advisory Services component. A mission to the Bahamas to introduce the project was undertaken by Ken Korporal, the CEPNET Project Manager and Marjo Vierros, Consultant/Trainer during October 28th and 29th. Meetings with potential User Areas in the Bahamas stimulated a great deal of enthusiasm and interest. Official documents regarding the Bahamas joining the CEPNET/IDB Project will be signed shortly. In addition, the country Needs Assessments and the country workplan are scheduled for speedy completion.
The CEPNET/IDB Project was represented at the 5th International Conference in Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Environments in San Diego, California, during October 5-7. Participation in this conference included a general session presentation as well as a poster presentation describing the CEPNET/IDB Project. A paper on the project was also published in the conference proceedings.
The CEP Web site at http://www.cep.unep.org is currently undergoing a number of updates. The Barbados Coastal Zone Management Unit Web site is now hosted by CEP and can be viewed at http://www.cep.unep.org/barbados/coastal.htm. The site contains a wealth of interesting information about the coastal and marine environments of Barbados and coastal zone management issues. As always, the CEPNET team appreciates any comments and suggestions you may have about the Web site. You can reach us via e-mail at uneprcuja@cwjamaica.com.
The next months will be full of intense activity as the Team (Continued on page 2)
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