From monitoring to reporting: the Albanian and Montenegrin national IMAP Info Systems

Assessments based on monitoring data need effective practical mechanisms for handling the data. Such mechanisms ensure that documents, data, and products are managed consistently and are made easily available to national users. For this reason, the GEF project developed a GIS application and info web system that enables the storing, assessing and reporting of data collected during national marine monitoring in Albania and Montenegro. The system in both countries is fully based on IMAP Info standards, enabling easy reporting to the IMAP INFO system.

The system is organised around ecological objectives and their agreed common indicators, and collects a significant amount of information to enable integrated assessments of the different monitored components. The programme offers georeferenced spatial information and trends for each assessed parameter in each monitoring location.

Although the system is structured around a significant number of data requirements, it is simple to use thanks to its predefined elements which facilitate quick and easy reporting. Importantly, all the data is checked by experts as it enters the system – only verified data is used. The Albanian and Montenegrin web GIS applications and info systems enable easy export of this verified data to the IMAP Info system, which allows both countries to fulfil their national monitoring commitments under the Barcelona Convention.

In Albania, the first data sets uploaded to the info system are from the Patok Rodoni Bay marine survey, which was implemented within the GEF Adriatic Project. Montenegro has included broader sets of data from its national monitoring programmes since 2016, including a GEF Adriatic project marine survey. Along with some data from 2009, there is a total of 14,702 records.

We have created a short web tutorial to help national monitoring institutions across the Mediterranean manage their IMAP data. Produced in collaboration with the INFO/RAC, it provides guidance on how to report yearly monitoring data to the IMAP info system, and highlights some common mistakes to avoid.

You can view the video tutorial below.