MED POL Phase III Database
V.
(1)
Myroshnychenko ,
S.C. Polat
(2)
Beken
(1) Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli-Icel, Turkey. E-mail: admin@ims.metu.edu.tr
(2) UNEP, Coordinating Unit for MAP, Vas. Konstantinou 48, 11635 Athens, Greece. E-mail: scpb@unepmap.gr
General Information
MED POL Phase III is the pollution reduction and control
programme for the Mediterranean Action Plan. Monitoring
activities is an essential module of MED POL Phase III to
track the efficiency of policy measures taken to reduce and
control of pollution and as well to assess the status of the
marine environment.
Development of the MED POL Phase III Database has been
initiated by MED POL in order to increase its data storage and
management capabilities according to the needs of MED POL
Phase III and to achieve Internet access to the Database. As
a first step, the needs and requirements were identified and
the conceptual model was developed (2001). The model was
thoroughly discussed and approved during expert consultation
meeting (Athens, 2002). Development of the first version of
the MEDPOL Database has been carried out during 20022003. All available data were loaded and the Internet version
of
the
Database
has
been
published
at
http://195.97.36.231/medpol/ that is linked to UNEP/MAP web
site. Works on database upgrade continued in 2003-2004
concentrating on quality control issues, fixing errors found
during exploitation and routine loading of monitoring data.
Database was developed using Microsoft Access DBMS,
which provides end-to-end solution for all development tasks
starting from creation of tables, reports, forms and queries
and finishing with publishing database information in Internet.
Web Server
http://195.97.36.231/Medpol
Data Loading
Local network
Data Management
Stations
Information
MED POL
PHASE III
Database
(MS Access)
Database
Snapshot
and
Internet
Module
Internet
Stations Maps
Working with data
Database Components
Samples
Information
MEDPOL Database Application provides next functionality:
•Loading of data reported in standard formats
•Data browsing
•Data editing
•Selection of data on different criteria
•Generating different reports
•Visualization of data (plots and maps)
Database tools are accessible through the Main Switchboard,
which opens at Database startup.
Database Contents
Dictionaries
Monitoring
Data
Biota
Sea Water
Quality
Assurance
Data
Countries
Matrix Identification
Sediments
Air
Loads
Laboratories
Quality Codes
Pollution Parameters
Analysis Methods
CRM Analysis
Data
Monitoring data are stored in 4 main tables: Stations, Samples,
Analyses and Data.
More than 30 tables contain auxiliary information such as MED
POL codes, formats, limits, etc. Most important of these are
dictionaries containing MED POL computerization codes and
reference information on:
•Matrix Identification
•Station Types
•Pollution Parameters
•Analysis Methods
•Species
•Tissues
•Countries
•Institutes
•CRM Codes
•Quality Codes, etc
Dictionary:
Pollution Parameters
Parameter Code
Group Code
Description
Air Unit
Biota Unit
…
Dictionary:
Institutes
Institute ID
Country Code
Institute Code
Institute Name
Address
…
Dictionary:
Individual Species
Species Code
Biota Group
Latin Name
Information
…
Dictionaries serve for data structuring and standardization of
data exchange with providers of pollution data and with
environmental agencies.
Every parameter value in the Database is supplied with Quality
Code. The scheme for flagging data quality contains 2 subsets
of quality codes. First subset corresponds to international
standards on data exchange and is used by experts. Second
subset is similar to first one and is used internally for assigning
quality codes during loading and preliminary analysis.
Monitoring data and Database statistics
The main purpose of the Database is storing and management
of the data on trend (and state) monitoring of pollutants in
Mediterranean, which are concerned with next monitoring
matrices:
• Biota
• Sediments
• Loads
• Sea Water
• Air
Types of data vary depending on matrix. These are trace
metals, organic contaminants and biomarkers for Biota matrix,
wet and dry deposition for Air matrix, etc. A set of 11 reporting
formats for different data types has been defined in the MED
POL Monitoring Programme. Every format contains:
• common mandatory fields, e.g., laboratory code, station,
date and time of sampling, coordinates, etc
• mandatory fields, specific for every data type, e.g.,
species and tissue code in biota, or samples layer and
fraction in sediments
• optional fields – for reporting measured values of
additional monitoring parameters
Monitoring data are reported into the MED POL office once per
year. Data loading is automated. The special tool is used for
loading data in standard formats, fulfilling comprehensive
checking of data, such as:
• correspondence of data file structure to standard format
• presence of all mandatory fields
• correspondence of all codes to MED POL codes
• presence and correspondence of parameter units
• correspondence of station characteristics to those stored
in the database, etc.
Later data is verified by data originators and finally checked
against ranges and internal quality codes are assigned.
Country Stations
Albania
Croatia
Cyprus
Greece
Israel
Slovenia
Tunisia
Turkey
Total
5
51
98
140
54
28
50
31
457
Stations
with data
3
35
88
47
41
28
41
27
310
Samples Parameters
17
487
481
460
1278
1196
665
519
5103
24
98
48
37
24
68
17
38
169*
Values
106
3710
2588
2442
8136
8630
1978
2796
30386
Stations by Type
33
28 5
Atmosphere Loads
Coastal
3
Effluents
170
Hot Spots
Reference
134
River Loads
Aquaculture waters
78
Samples by Matrix
*Only unique parameters are counted
966
1352
Algeria, Morocco and Syria are expected to submit data in
2005 since these countries have signed monitoring
agreements with UNEP/MAP.
Set of predefined statistic and administrative reports allows
manager check database contents and control state of data
reporting and loading.
Loads
266
Sediments
Biota
Sea Water
2519
Samples distribution
10%
<1%
10%
9%
13%
9%
23%
26%
Albania
Croatia
Cyprus
Greece
Israel
Slovenia
Tunisia
Turkey
Values distribution
9%
<1%
12%
7%
9%
8%
28%
27%
Albania
Croatia
Cyprus
Greece
Israel
Slovenia
Tunisia
Turkey
MED POL Database in Internet
Special Web Application – MED POL Database Internet
Module - has been developed in order to publish information
from the Database Snapshot in Internet. The most popular
Internet Browsers: Internet Explorer and Netscape
Communicator can be used for working with this Web
application. Internet Module consists of 2 major parts:
• ASP (Active Server Pages) application for retrieving
information from the Database
• ISAPI Map module for dynamic generation of map images
Internet User retrieves information from the Database using
Stations query form or Samples query form.
The web page with result of database search contains table
with found stations (or samples) and map with stations
positions. In case country name was included into search
criteria, the map of Mediterranean is limited to country extent.
Internet User is restricted to retrieve
only metadata (inventory) information
from the Database: lists of stations
and/or samples, station details,
sample details including list of
measured
parameters,
but
not
parameters values.
User can identify station on the
map by clicking on the station
marker. Upon receiving result
of identification
User can
obtain all station details.