INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF LAND BASED ACTIVITIES
IN THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER BASIN PROJECT
GEF/ANA/OAS/UNEP
Activity 4.7 D Water Resources Projects' Information Management System
Executive Summary of the Final Report
DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GEF
PROJECT'S INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Brasília - DF
INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF LAND BASED ACTIVITIES
IN THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER BASIN PROJECT
GEF/ANA/OAS/UNEP
Activity 4.7 D Water Resources Projects' Information Management System
Executive Summary of the Final Report
DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE GEF PROJECT'S INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Coordinator
José Luiz de Souza
Technical Coordinator GEF São Francisco
Consultant
IKHON GESTÃO, TECNOLOGIA E CONHECIMENTOS
May 2003
DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GEF
PROJECT'S INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
Activity 4.7 D ("Water Resources Projects' Information Management System"), carried out in
the context of the Integrated Management of Land Based Activities in the São Francisco River
Basin Project (GEF/ANA/OAS/UNEP), is part of the Component IV, Formulation of the
Integrated management Plan for the São Francisco Basin and Adjacent Coastal Zone. Its
objective is to develop a computerized solution for controlling and optimizing the physical and
financial management of projects.
In order to administer the entire implementation of the system, all information on the work of all
the involved persons is to be made accessible to the Activity's Coordination, in an integrated
manner, in real time. To overcome this problem, the Information Management System, an
electronic tool, was developed to control all Project activities, from planning to financial
implementation, to contribute to its management and to the supervision of all of its actions.
The System, developed for the GEF São Francisco and Alto Paraguay Projects, may also be used
for other Projects, such as the Guarani Aquifer.
This Executive Summary is composed of four chapters: Chapter 1 lays the antecedents and
objectives Information Management System. Chapter 2 lists the System's characterization and
presents the computer language and data models used. Chapter 3 displays the System's main
interface Windows. Conclusions and recommendations accruing from the work are presented in
Chapter 4.
1.
ANTECEDENTS AND OBJECTIVES
Before the development and implementation of the Information Management System, all
administrative and control procedures in the Project were made using spreadsheets and word
processor documents. In spite of the control exerted by the Coordination, the lack of a unique
repository for all the information made difficult the consistency and control of the activities.
To overcome this difficulty, the following actions were proposed:
· Development and implementation of two Information Management Systems, one for
each GEF Project (São Francisco and Alto Paraguay), base don the actions carried out
by the Project's Coordination, according to the orientation in the Operation's Manual;
· Training the users who will benefit from the Information Management System;
· Promoting the migration of the information data banks from the different existing
sources.
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2. TECHNICAL
ASPECTS
The Information Management System was developed to work within the National Water
Agency's information structure. As one of the objectives of the System is its access from any site
in the Country, it was developed in the Internet. Considering the existing computer structure and
the Internet standards, the Microsoft ASP technology was chosen for the development, with the
use of the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database for data storage.
The System's structure is divided into planning, execution and management modules.
3. SYSTEM
SCREEN
Some of the main Windows for the GEF São Francisco Project are presented ahead.
Figure 1. Opening window for the Information Management System.
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Figure 2. Opening window with the Activities' financial statements.
Figure 3. Activity's control window.
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Figure 4. Contract by Product Request Form.
Figure 5. Payment Request Form.
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4. CONCLUSIONS
The System was developed in conformity with the two GEF Projects' administrative and
financial procedures, as those are the primary users. In this manner, there was a step by step
accompanying of the development.
Most part of the existing information in other data bases has already been inputted in the System.
The remaining information on the GEF Alto Paraguay and GEF São Francisco Projects is already
being transferred. The implementation of the Information Management System aims at an
improvement of the management process, contributing to the monitoring, control and efficiency
of its actions.
5. RECOMENDATIONS
The implementation of this Activity's tasks required priceless resources from several sources.
Therefore, it is recommended that:
· The gained experience, the procedures` manuals, the technical documentation and other
products of this Activity are to be used in other GEF Projects under the Coordination of
the Organization of American States OAS;
· The Activity's procedures should be continued, viewing obtaining the most from the
already implemented actions and a continuous improvement of the Information
Management System, as it may be used in other GEF Projects with structures similar to
the São Francisco and Alto Paraguay Projects; and
· Maintenance procedures are to be performed in a continuous and evolutive way, to keep
it permanently updated and compatible with changes in context.
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