On the occasion of World Environment Day, 5 June 2006, Mountain Environment and Natural Resources Information Systems (MENRIS) ICIMOD, also recognized as UNEP GRID Kathmandu, launched an updated version of the Mountain GIS Portal a platform aimed at sharing and exchanging geographic information and knowledge resources of mountain ecosystems and its services from the HKH region.

The portal in its present form has been updated within the framework of a Mountain environment Knowledge Hub (M-eKH) and improved with a number of value added components:

• Geo-network metadata system in collaboration with FAO and UNEP
• Space Technology Application for mountain areas in collaboration with European Space Agency (ESA)
• Google Earth Application
• GIS E-learning System
• Thematic Portals - Biodiversity, Water Quality, Glacier and Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOF), Socio-economic indicators and Land use and Land cover
• Dynamic Mapping Services
• Other information resources focusing on geography and mountain areas

The portal can be visited at http://www.icimod-gis.net, in addition two new URLs have been created: http://menris.icimod.net and http://grid-kathmandu.icimod.net, and also can be accessed through ICIMOD Homepage at www.icimod.org.

More information on the portal is available in the electronic leaflet at: http://menris.icimod.net/pdf/Mountain GIS Portal_leaflet.pdf

ICIMOD, as a mountain learning and knowledge centre, this initiative is an important step towards providing open access to the geo-information services and realizing the vision of establishing a regional and national geographic information infrastructure in the region.