Bangalore, May 13, 2005: The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) officially launched India’s first Eco-informatics Centre today at an event in Bangalore. The Centre, based out of Bangalore, is in collaboration with the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) with support from the United Nations Foundation and the Indo-US Science &Technology Forum. It will bring together knowledge in the fields of information technology and ecology to further the conservation and wise management of India’s natural resources. In addition, the Centre will actively promote national and international collaboration in applied research and capacity building in the field of eco-informatics.

The Centre addresses an urgent need to evolve an umbrella mechanism to integrate relevant scientific knowledge to deal with natural resource management and conservation issues. Knowledge and information gained from research efforts have to be channeled effectively so as to percolate through developing country policy frameworks resulting in sustainable development. The Centre provides an innovative model of coordinated action between non-government, private sector and government agencies to deal with the prevailing issues in this area.

Emphasizing the significance of the Centre, Dr. K.S. Bawa, President of ATREE said, “The unique feature of the Center is that information critical to success in conservation and management of our diminishing biological resources would be readily available to professionals and decision makers. At the same time, the Centre would perform an important public service function as a source of information on biodiversity and other features of the environment, for use by the general public.”

As one of its many services, the Centre has established a website ( www.ecoinfoindia.org), made possible through a grant of HP technology in the form of a high-end server and supporting workstations. The website hosts a web-enabled Geographic Information Systems (GIS) facility, which is built on MapInfo’s leading edge MapXtreme technology. This system permits interactive querying and mapping of spatially referenced information. The main purpose of the website is to deliver- free of cost- geographic information on conservation and the environment, allowing users to visualize, analyze, and integrate various types of data. For instance, a policy-maker with the Forest Department could map all the districts with a population density of more than 200 people/km2 and a minimum specified level of forest cover, or a student of wildlife management could map the probable distribution of an endangered species. Apart from the webGIS facility, the site also offers a wealth of information on the Western Ghats, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, in the form of value added, published maps that have resulted from almost a decade of ecological and environmental research at ATREE and its partner agencies. This information could benefit stakeholders ranging from policy makers - especially within the Ministry of Environment and Forests - to officials of the Forest Department, researchers, students and educators.

In support of this initiative, Shri. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO said, ” I am extremely happy to note that ATREE is launching India's First Eco-Informatics Centre. India has a wealth of biodiversity and vast agricultural and forest lands. Having a proper understanding of the features associated with these resources is important to ensure sustainable use. For any such activity, creating the database is a starting point and the initiative taken by ATREE is commendable. The ISRO's Remote Sensing satellites and Rocket projects carried out in many such areas can help in sharpening the project activities. I congratulate the team at ATREE for the novel venture and wish all success.” Shri. Madhavan Nair, who was invited as Chief Guest, was unable to attend the event due to pressing commitments in New Delhi. Dr. M.Y.S Prasad Director, Master Control Facility, Hassan - ISRO, represented Dr. Nair at the function.

Stating HPs support of this initiative, Mr. P. Ravindranath, Director of Strategic Development, Government and Public Affairs said, “Today, conservation and management of natural resources is not the concern of the scientific community alone. It is the responsibility of corporates and citizens alike to make this a priority; to give something back to help sustain, conserve, create and enhance our living and working environment. As a leading global technology solutions provider, HPs technology support to ATREEs path - breaking initiative is proof positive of our concern and commitment to the cause. And this essentially is a fulfillment of the HP promise of delivering vital technology for business and life everywhere. HP believes that technology has a transformational role as a key enabler in addressing and solving societal issues and thereby aid the country's economic development.”

ATREE used the occasion to make two additional announcements:

• An MOU has been signed with the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune and ATREE as the Centre’s first significant step towards building institutional collaboration and data sharing for conservation and natural resource management.
• ATREE has been awarded a grant by MapInfo - global leader in location-based software solutions – to establish an internship programme which will allow a select group of national and international students to work on the development of webGIS related tools and applications using JAVA technology.
  

About ATREE

Founded in 1996, The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment is a non-profit trust that works towards the conservation and sustainable use of our natural resources by building scientific and social capital to address pressing environmental challenges. Its four main programme areas are research, policy development and education. ATREE emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to tackle issues concerning India’s rapidly diminishing biological resources and natural ecosystems. Headquartered in Bangalore, ATREE maintains a network of four offices and several field stations throughout India, thereby addressing environmental issues at local, regional and national levels. More information about ATREE is available at www.atree.org.

About UAS

Established in 1963,The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore is an autonomous educational, research and development institution with territorial jurisdiction over 15 districts of Karnataka. UAS undertakes research in agricultural and allied sciences and integrates teaching, research and extension education to bring about desired interaction for sustained development of agriculture and allied sectors. It offers postgraduate programs in 45 disciplines with research as a mandatory component and was awarded best ICAR institute in 2003. UAS has forged collaboration with the world’s best institutes and universities, private firms in agriculture research and a number of NGOs. Recognizing the outreach strength of the University, World Bank has offered one of the largest consultancy contracts. The consultancy services cover training and capacity building, devising income generation activities and executing pilot studies in water management in tank irrigated areas. More information about UAS is available at http://uasbng.kar.nic.in/default.htm.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $81.8 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

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