Author details

global communication has put new standards at national and international level, while this progress is also transforming the structure of the economic and social activities. The present work demonstrates that the exponential advances of the information-communication technologies (ICTs) have been also encapsulated in the environmental sector, with special emphasis to be given to the water sector, and international organizations, such as UNESCO-IHP, have adopted

The specific work gives also emphasis to the use of ICTs that have been used in different UNESCO IHP programs in order to (i) strengthen the capacity building of water management institutions to implement sustainable forms of utilization, management and protection of transboundary water resources, (ii) facilitate water users to retrieve data related to transboundary water resources, (iii) enable water experts to share data, and (iv) support public

ICTs can also contribute to other thematic fields. A holistic and comprehensive approach to promoting ICT in education, for example, has been conducted by UNESCO [75]. Particularly, UNESCO's Intersectoral Platform emphases on the joint work of the ICTs with science in order to support universal access to education, equity in education, the delivery of quality learning and teaching, teachers' professional development and more efficient education management,

Integrated environmental data management is concerned with providing an opportunity to draw together relevant data on a transient or permanent basis within the same or across disciplinary boundaries so as to address through analyses, modeling or other means, environmental issues of local, regional, national, or international interest or concern [76]. In the water sector and especially in the integrated water resources management (IWRM), ICTs can provide solutions for its implementation. Particularly, technologies such as satellite earth observation, telemetric monitoring networks, and GIS and Web-based geo-referenced information systems could smooth any differences in the use of technical standards and specifications for data collection and information sharing at national and international level when dealing with transboundary water resources. In the case of engineers, hydrologists, environmental professionals, etc. where emphasis is given on modeling the hydro systems, the aforementioned tools could contribute for a more accurate modeling procedure, since accuracy is subjected to data availability and precision and thereafter for analyzing relationships between physical and ecological variables such as precipitation, river flow, or groundwater recharge [12]. The results of the modeling procedure are useful for understanding how the physical and ecological transboundary systems behave under natural conditions and when anthropogenic pressure is

However, the proper and standardized utilization of ICTs are a common problem in developing countries. For example, monitoring and early warning systems (MEWS) at operational phase contain the decentralized data collection, scattered over multiple agencies that are dependent on different ministries. This requires collaboration across ministries through a multisectorial approach, which often cannot be effectively implemented without direct support from highlevel policymakers [10]. Although most countries have foreseen the development of such monitoring systems in their legislation, it often remains underdeveloped and inappropriate for deci-

this potentiality in their various programs.

194 Achievements and Challenges of Integrated River Basin Management

governance, and administration.

participation.

implemented.

sion making.

Charalampos Skoulikaris<sup>1</sup> \*, Youssef Filali-Meknassi<sup>2</sup> , Alice Aureli<sup>2</sup> , Abou Amani<sup>2</sup> and Blanca Elena Jiménez-Cisneros<sup>2</sup>

