DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR FISHERIESTHE “ITAFISH” CASE STUDY

STUDIES AND REVIEWSNo. 72 2001

ISS

N 0374-7236

GENERAL FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN

FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations

O

The purpose of the Itafish project, executed jointly by the Italian Ministry of

Agricultural and Forestry Policies and FAO, was to design, develop and test a

computerized system or methodology for the organization, storage and first

analysis of the existing data on fisheries and aquaculture available in the

Mediterranean for decision-making. The system is based on a network of

institutions and users that exchange data and information using the

applications and exchange formats developed by the project. This paper

describes the Itafish project regarding: the context in which it was conceived

and developed, its contents, the input models, the functioning and the outputs,

and how it is managed. A separate manual is also available describing the

installation of the system and its more technical specifications. The development

model and the system architecture of Itafish make it possible for Itafish tointegrate with other components, thereby constructing a made-to-measure

decision-support system as a national model. The conceptual design also

envisages its integration into an eventual regional network where Itafish

would be the national node or interface that connects with other similar

systems in the network.

Istituto Centraleper la RicercaScientificae TecnologicaApplicata al Mare

9 7 8 9 2 5 1 0 4 7 0 1 9

TC/M/Y2793E/1/12.01/1200

ISBN 92-5-104701-4 ISSN1020-7236

DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR FISHERIESThe “Itafish” case study

by

Salvatore CoppolaFishery Resources OfficerFAO Fisheries Department

andDonatella CrosettiResearch Scientist

Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al MareRome

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONSRome, 2001

STUDIES AND REVIEWS No. 72

GENERAL FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN

The designations employed and the presentation of material inthis information product do not imply the expression of anyopinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations concerning the legal status ofany country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, orconcerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in thisinformation product for educational or other non-commercial purposes areauthorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holdersprovided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in thisinformation product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibitedwithout written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for suchpermission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing and MultimediaService, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100Rome, Italy or by e-mail to copyright@fao.org

© FAO 2001

ISBN 92-5-104701-4

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

The Italian Central Institute for Marine Research (ICRAM) in its computerisationprocess proposed to FAO, Fisheries Department to jointly design and develop a"typical" DataBase and Information System for a fishery institution to be usedby ICRAM as a prototype and by the FAO Fisheries Department as a "visible"model to be proposed to other countries in the General Fisheries Commissionfor the Mediterranean (GFCM) area for their national decision making needs.

The document produced by the ITAFISH team, after the completion of the work,describes the methodology developed, the solutions adopted and the elementsconstituting the Decision Support System. It has been prepared in Italian andEnglish.

ITAFISH, in its regional context, has already been used by FAO-COPEMED Projectas a base to develop its "Fishery Research and Development" regional DataBase,and by the FAO-ADRIAMED project as the backbone to build up the sub-regionalinformation system ADRIAFISH, as support to Sub-regional decision making.

The decision to publish it in English, in the "GFCM Studies and Reviews" series,was taken to comply with the many requests from individuals and Institutionsto use it as a reference document as well as an information guide on how anational Decision Support System could be constructed using approaches thathave been successfully developed and tested.

iii

Coppola, S.; Crosetti, D. Decision-support systems for fisheries. The ITAFISH case study.

Studies and Reviews. General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.No. 72. Rome, FAO. 2001. 50p.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the joint ITAFISH project, between the Italian Ministry ofAgricultural and Forestry Policies and FAO, was to design, develop and test acomputerized system or methodology for the organisation, storage and firstanalysis of the mass existing data available on fisheries and aquaculture in theMediterranean for decision making. The system is based on a network ofinstitutions and users which exchange data and information using theapplications and exchange formats developed by the project. This paperdescribes the ITAFISH project regarding: the context in which it was conceivedand developed, its contents, the input models, the functioning and the ouputs,and how it is managed. A separate manual is also available describing theinstallation of the system and its more technical specifications. The developmentmodel and the system architecture of ITAFISH make it possible for ITAFISH tointegrate with other components, thereby constructing a made-to-measureDecision Support System as a national model. The conceptual design alsoenvisages its integration into an eventual regional network where ITAFISHwould be the national node or interface which connects with other similarsystems in the network.

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INTRODUCTION 1

1. BACKGROUND 2

1.1 Fisheries and aquaculture as renewable resources 21.2 Information requirements 2

2. ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT 4

3. ITALIAN INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT 5

4. REFERENCE AREA 5

4.1 The Mediterranean 54.2 The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) 64.3 Regional projects that can be associated with ITAFISH 6

4.3.1 MEDFISH 64.3.2 SIPAM 74.3.3 COPEMED 7

5. OBJECTIVES 9

5.1 Background 105.2 Specific objectives 10

6. PROJECT CRITERIA 11

6.1 Grid type model 116.2 Users and suppliers of information 116.3 Organisation of the information 116.4 Codification system 116.5 Modular structure 126.6 Expandability 12

7. CONTENTS 13

7.1 Research and development 17Istitutions 17Experts 17Projects 17Priorities 17Results 17Documents 18Network 18

Contents

v

vi

7.2 Documentation 19Documents not related to the data banks 19All documents 19

7.3 Information 20Historical 20Announcements 20Documents 20Internet 20

7.4 Statistics 21Fisheries 21Acquaculture 21Production plants 21Fishing effort 22Imports 22Exports 22Macro-economy 22

7.5 Biospecies 24SpeciesDab-Ita 24WinPopDyn-Ita 24AquaDab-Ita 24Integrated 24

7.6 Infrastructures 25Ports 25Boat register 25Aquaculture plants 25Protected marine areas 25

7.7 Legislation 27Laws 27Law summaries 27Internet 27

7.8 Suppliers 28Suppliers 28Consultants 28

7.9 Graphic support 29Maps 29Graphs 29Objects 29

7.10 Links and connections 30

Contents

vii

8. TECNICHAL INFORMATION 31

8.1 Use 318.1.1 Access levels 318.1.2 Means of distribution and access 328.1.3 Operational language 32

8.2 Technical structure 328.2.1 Software configuration 328.2.2 Hardware platform 32

8.3 Graphics and publicity 328.4 Location 33

9. TRAINING 33

10. WORK PLAN 3410.1 Operating phases 3410.2 Variations to the initial project 34

11. RESOURCES 3511.1 Financial resources 3511.2 Human resources 3511.3 Computer resources 36

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 36

BIBLIOGRAPHY 39

Annex 41

Contents

1

The ITAFISH Information System is the product of a jointresearch project between the Italian Central Institute forMarine Research (ICRAM) and the Fisheries Department of theFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to develop a systemof data banks for fisheries and aquaculture, both as a prototypefor Italian institutes/centres and as a model for decision makingin the Mediterranean basin (GCP/REM/058/ITA).

The Project was financed by the Directorate-General of Fisheriesand Aquaculture of the former Ministry of Agricultural, Foodand Forestry Resources (now the Ministry of Agricultural andForestry Policies: MiPAF) from funds in the third Three-year Planfor Fisheries and Aquaculture. It was included in the FAOTechnical Assistance Programme and implemented under thedirection of the FAO Fisheries Resources Division.

ITAFISH has been designed to incorporate already acquiredknowledge, develop and integrate new applications, andestablish standards for the exchange of information through anetwork between institutions and users:

This paper describes the Project, the context in which it wasconceived and developed, as well as its contents, the inputmodels, functions, and outputs, and how it is managed. A moredetailed description of the structure, functional specifications,contents, installation and use of ITAFISH is given given in Vol.2"ITAFISH – structure and management of the System".

• it is an instrument for gathering and disseminatingfishery and aquaculture information that has beencollected on Italian territory;

• it is a virtual information site, whose institutionalmemory is physically located with the people workingin these fields;

• it has been designed to expand autonomously startingfrom an initial nucleus;

• it was conceived as having a modular architecture toevolve as the users, who are also the suppliers of theinformation, grow in number.

INTRODUCTION

ITA

FIS

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1. BACKGROUND

Although the availability of information, data andstatistical systems for fisheries and aquaculture isgenerally considered fundamental for estimatingproduction levels, as well as for providing decisionmakers with the most accurate, reliable and up-to-date information on which to base their strategies,it can generally be stated that the vast amount offishery and aquaculture data at present collectedin Italy is insufficiently used. This is mainly becausethese data are not organised in structured andcoordinated systems and, therefore, are not easilyaccessible for sectorial analyses and comparisonswith other data.

The Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policiestherefore felt it was important to promote aresearch project to study and develop a prototypeinformation system for Italian institutions andcentres that operate in fisheries and aquaculture.The project was entrusted to ICRAM and, at theexpress indication of the Ministry, carried out incollaboration with the FAO Fisheries Department.

So as to ensure that the final product would beboth effective and efficient, the System wasdesigned taking into account the organisationaland institutional conditions of Italy and itslocation (in the Mediterranean basin) and thenecessary functional characteristics that wouldensure this as well as its gradual evolution.

1.1 Fisheries and aquaculture as renewableresources

Fishery and aquaculture activities play animportant role in the coastal areas because theynot only provide healthy and appetising food, butthey also create essential employmentopportunities, thus favouring economic and socialprosperity.

Marine fauna is a natural resource that is part ofour common heritage. It is both a renewable andmobile resource, whose reproduction anddynamics escape control. For fishery activities to bemaintained at a satisfactory level healthy stocksare necessary, and this presupposes a healthymarine environment. In order to safeguard themarine ecosystems and permit restocking througha correct management of the sea that issustainable over time, fishery and aquacultureactivities must be regulated by internationalcooperation. This cooperation should aim atresolving the common problems which, within the

present context of fisheries and aquaculture, arethe risks of overexploitation and pollution of themarine ecosystems.

Over the last few years the Italian fishery andaquaculture sector as a whole (management,enterprises, fishery associations, public and privateresearch) have also become conscious of theimportance of environmental policies in fisheriesand aquaculture because of the industry’s closerelationship with the environment. The "Code ofConduct for Responsible Fisheries" (FAO, 1995),contributed to this awareness. Among the Code’sprincipal objectives is the commitment to protectthe aquatic ecosystem by undertaking fishery andaquaculture activities in a responsible manner inorder to guarantee the correct management ofaquatic resources and their conservation.

The Italian Government, through the adoption ofmulti-year programming of political andadministrative action in the sectors (Three-yearPlans for Fisheries and Aquaculture) thereforeestablished measures to control fishery activities inorder to maintain the catch at a sustainable level,i.e., by regulating fishing effort and the technicalcharacteristics of the boats.

It should be noted that, within the framework ofthe Three-year Plans, scientific research is engagedin projects aimed at assessing fishery resources andidentifying production technology that bothrespects the ecosystem and is economically valid.In this connection, the use and improvement ofeconomic and social analysis tools to plan themanagement and development policies for thesectors are underlined. In this context the need tocollect and disseminate the information mainly,but not only, through the latest communicationmeans (Internet, CD rom, data banks, etc.) wasemphasised.

1.2 Information requirements

The monitoring of fishery and aquacultureactivities and a proper management of the marineresources would meet the growing needs of manycountries, and in particular those of theMediterranean countries. The latter, in fact,constitute a unique fishing area whose wealthmust be opportunely preserved and managed byall its many users. However, effective activitymonitoring and correct management cannot beundertaken without all the necessary informationbeing made available to the individuals andorganisations who operate and have decisionalpower in the Mediterranean area.

3

The existing knowledge of the Mediterranean eco-system is considered inadequate to fulfil the needfor information for various reasons. Certainly,factors such as the scarce experience of somecountries in data collection and informationmanagement, or the insufficient level oftechnology available to them, have contributed tothis lack, which could be eliminated throughappropriate technical assistance projects.However, the most important and most commonreason is of structural origin, i.e., regardless ofhow efficient the institutions are in each country,appropriate importance and adequate resourceswere never given to this problem. Some of thesestructural elements are listed below:

a. Generally speaking, the term "information"includes only statistical data (i.e., numerical),collected and processed by the nationalsystems. All the other information fromvarious sources (producers’ organisations,credit institutions, administrative authorities,international organisations) as well as thatproduced by the scientific and technicalresearch world, which is essentiallyqualitative not quantitative, is not fullyexploited.

b. Monitoring and managing resources areactivities that have only recently beenintroduced into the production andinstitutional contexts. Consequently, giventhe inevitable inertia of any organisedsystem to adopt innovations, to date there isa gap between the quantity, quality,frequency and degree of coverage of theinformation collected by the existingstatistical systems and that indispensable forthe monitoring and management activities.

c. National statistical systems are structuredand constructed (by typology, bymethodology and by information processingtechnology) completely in accordance withthe criteria of the country concerned. Inother words, they are closed systems that areincommunicable and more or lessimpermeable to efforts to integrate theminto a regional information network. Theyare often simultaneously "difficult" and"inefficient" instruments - difficult becausethey are accessible only to users who are ableto interpret and process their contents;inefficient because they are not structured toprovide answers to complex problems butonly to supply elementary information.

To eradicate this "cultural" delay in informationmanagement, which is the only way of effectivelymanaging marine resources, the concept of thestatistical system as the only source of informationshould first of all be given up. Then, informationsystems, i.e., instruments of knowledge thatpermit users to access information from differentsources, sectors and disciplines (i.e., from statisticalsystems, government authorities, researchorganisations, databases, geographic informationsystems, telesurveys, information networks,experiments, system experts, etc.), according todifferent cultural levels and different operativeneeds, should be set up.

It should be emphasised, however, that in theMediterranean area there is also a serious problemof lack of circulation of information between thecountries concerned. It is emblematic in thiscontext to note that of the numerous national,regional and international initiatives launched inthe last decade in the fishery and aquaculturesectors by international organisations (FAO, UNDP,CE, World Bank, etc.), the information return toinstitutions, researchers and users in theMediterranean area was, and still is, scarce, andoften redundant or a duplication.

The reasons for this are many: reluctance ofresearchers to disseminate the results of theirwork, confusing procedures, lack of internationalscientific networks, badly interpreted nationalinterests, and so on. On the whole, though, thefollowing structural causes can be identified undernational and regional responsibility:

• lack of harmonisation and control in themulti-disciplinary data collection systems

• lack of coordination in the data processing

• lack of or scarce resources to manage theinformation

• modest knowledge of informationtechnology, data collection and computerisedprocessing techniques

• inadequate administrative structure tosupport information systems in the longterm.

To help overcome the above problems a RegionalInformation System for the Mediterranean, underthe aegis of the GFCM, was attempted. However,for a number of different reasons (financial,organisational, and statutory) the project was notrealised.

4

The alternative strategy, into which ITAFISH can beplaced, was to construct a regional informationgrid system (one grid = one country). Here,national systems would constitute the single nodesbased on a technological and information modelthat was adaptable to the requirements(standards, methodologies, and levels of accuracyof the information) and which could beimplemented over the whole region.

The feasibility of this project was based on variousconsiderations, two of which were consideredfundamental for its success:

• the obvious need for a system dedicated toassisting the researcher with a continuousflow of data and information useful for theevaluation, forecasting, and study, etc., ofevents that are, or could in some way be,linked to fisheries and aquaculture and totheir control;

• the conviction that both public and privateinstitutions possess a large quantity of dataand information that could be very useful inthe management of this sector, but whichremain un- or only partially utilised becausethey are organised, processed anddisseminated in such a way that it is difficultand often impossible to integrate andassociate them with information of adifferent nature and from different sources.

2. ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT

In 1995 ICRAM was entrusted with a researchproject to develop an information system for thefishery and aquaculture activities in Italy based on:

• the use of innovative technologies to organiseand manage the information

• collocation in the environmental andinstitutional context in which Italy interacts,i.e., the Mediterranean

• effective feasibility.

The project was financed by the Directorate-General of Fishery and Aquaculture of the thenMinistry of Agricultural, Food and ForestryResources (now the Ministry of Agricultural andForestry Policies, MiPAF) and included in the FAOtechnical assistance programme under thedirection of its Fisheries Resources Division.

The FAO Fisheries Resources Division (FIR) isresponsible for activities aimed at increasingknowledge of all the elements which affect boththe dynamics in the water and its relatedexploitation through fishing, in order tostrengthen and optimise these food resources ona world-wide scale. Moreover, FIR guarantees thatsuch knowledge is aimed at the promotion andgrowth of these resources in a responsible manner.Its assistance focuses especially on developingcountries. In addition to the various technicalprogrammes, the Division offers assistance in eachphase of project development, from formulationto accomplishment, and also provides specialisedinformation to public and private institutions.

As already mentioned in the Introduction, ITAFISHis a joint ICRAM/FAO-FIR research project todevelop a prototype system of fishery andaquaculture data banks for Italian institutions andcentres and for use as a model for otherMediterranean countries and, as such, met therequirements of both parties:

• ICRAM needed technical assistance from FAOto develop a set of sectorial databases thatwould enable an information system for Italyto be set up. The decision to request assistancefrom the FAO Fisheries Department wasdictated by two fundamental reasons: firstly,the Department’s regional and internationalexperience in the design, development andmanagement of statistical and informationsystems for fisheries and aquaculture; and,secondly, its experience in designing andproposing information systems based onmodels used in SIPAM (Information System forthe Promotion of Aquaculture in theMediterranean) and SIPAL (InformationSystem to support the decisions foraquaculture in Latin America), whose design isconsidered innovative and which take accountboth of the sectors’ problems and of theinvolvement of the final users in the designand development of the system.

• FAO-FIR’s interest in participating in thisproject had two objectives: on the one hand,in accordance with its institutional mandate,to provide technical assistance to a MemberCountry (Italy), for systemising and processinginformation; on the other, to design andparticipate in the implementation of aninformation system that could be proposed asa national information system model for othercountries in the Mediterranean, within the

5

framework of the wider project for theestablishment of a regional informationsystem.

In this context, on completion of the project it isFAO-FIR’s intention to transfer the ITAFISHtechnology to other countries in theMediterranean area which request it, so as toaccelerate the development and integration of thedata and information not only at the nationallevel but also at the Mediterranean regional level(MEDFISH).

3. ITALIAN INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

The ITAFISH project, in accordance with thedecision of the Directorate-General of Fishery andAquaculture of the then Ministry of Agricultural,Food and Forestry Resources, was entrusted toICRAM, which carries out activities in the fisheryand aquaculture sectors.

ICRAM, a public body in Category VI "Scientificresearch and experimental bodies" of the tableattached to Law no. 70 dated 20.3.1975, wasoriginally established by Article 8 of Lawno.41/1982 (Plan for the rationalisation anddevelopment of marine fishing) with technicalsupport functions to the Directorate-General ofMarine Fishery of the former Merchant NavyMinistry to contribute scientifically to a balancedmanagement of the marine resources. By Lawno.61/1994 (regarding control of the environmentand the establishment of a national agency for theprotection of the environment (ANPA)), ICRAMcame under the authority of the Ministry of theEnvironment and was restructured bothorganisationally and functionally.

ICRAM’s mandate, at the time of its establishmentin 1982, was to contribute to the protection of thesea and its resources through activities to supportmanagement, conservation and awareness basedon solid scientific bases and the precautionaryapproach. In this context, ICRAM carries outapplied research and provides technical advice insupport of related policies:

• on the quality of the marine environment(coastal and lagoon), and on anti-pollutionactivities

• on marine biological diversity, with specialattention to habitats of particular naturalisticinterest and to protected marine species

• on the sustainable use of the marineenvironment and its resources.

ICRAM is located in Rome and has technicalscientific offices in Palermo and Chioggia. It isorganised as follows:

Policy

President (nominated by Presidential Decree asproposed by the Minister of the Environment)Administrative Council (five members):

- President of ICRAM

- two representatives from the Ministry ofthe Environment

- one representative from the Ministry ofAgricultural Policies

- one representative from the Ministry ofUniversities and Scientific Research

Management

Director (nominated by the Minister of theEnvironment as proposed by ICRAM’sAdministrative Council)

Auditing

Auditors (three members):

- one representative from the Ministry ofthe Environment

- one representative from the Ministry ofUniversities and Scientific Research

- one representative from the Treasury

4. REFERENCE AREA

4.1 The Mediterranean

The ITAFISH Information System was designed tobe used primarily in Italy, and its reference areacan only be the Mediterranean basin.

In the background paper for the FAO Council inSeptember 1949, on the establishment of theGeneral Fisheries Council (now Commission) for theMediterranean, it was confirmed that "in the caseof the Mediterranean basin, the borders of thegeographic area concerned appear well definedand obvious". In fact, the whole Mediterraneanand adjoining seas, including the Black Sea and thewaters that connect it to the Mediterranean itself,constitute a unique ecological unit where some of

6

the edible marine species migrate across the entirebasin or, at least, through its related sub-areas.This is not the case of the Red Sea which,notwithstanding its geographic proximity, hasmore affinity with the Indian Ocean and which,therefore, has been excluded from the"Mediterranean and adjoining waters".

4.2 The General Fisheries Commission for theMediterranean

The General Fisheries Commission for theMediterranean (GFCM) was established in 1947under the auspices of FAO. In 1976 it wasconfirmed that its area of competence includedthe Mediterranean Sea in the strict sense, theBlack Sea and the intermediate waters.

The general purpose of the Commission, asestablished in the preamble of its constitution, isto operate in the mutual interests of theparticipating countries "for the development andbalanced use of the marine resources" through"international cooperation". It was authorised toformulate and recommend appropriate measuresto manage the area concerned, including theregulation of fishing methods and fishing gear,setting a minimum catch size for each catcheablespecies, establishing a calendar of fishing seasons,and defining the total catch and effort permittedand each member country’s quota.

The GFCM is essentially an advisory body withoutthe authority to emanate laws or rules or to giveinstructions that are binding to its membercountries. In essence, its interventions are in theform of reports and recommendations to membercountries issued at its periodic general meetings.Its functions are very wide, and cover all thebiological, environmental, scientific and technicalaspects of problems connected with thedevelopment and rational utilisation of livingaquatic species. In particular, the Commission:

• identifies the problems

• promotes coordinated research

• publishes the results of its work

• defines research and development projects

• undertakes research and developmentprojects

• promotes reference standards

• effects comparative studies on legislation

• encourages research on working conditions

The GFCM has contacts and collaborates withmany international organisations. Of relevance, inorder to examine fisheries and aquacultureproblems in the Mediterranean and in the coastalcountries, are its contacts with the InternationalCommission for the Scientific Exploration of theMediterranean (ICSEM), the European InlandFisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC), the JointCommission for Black Sea Fisheries, UNESCO withits Inter-Governmental OceanographicCommission (IOC), and the MediterraneanAssociation for Marine Biology and Oceanology(MAMBO).

4.3 Regional projects that can be associatedwith ITAFISH

4.3.1 MEDFISH

MEDFISH is a conceptual model, accepted by theGFCM within the framework of the developmentof an information system on fishery andaquaculture activities in the Mediterranean area.It represents the structural link betweenperipheral systems (national, regional and/orsectorial (fisheries, aquaculture)), (Medfish, 1997).The model was conceived to contribute towardsclosing some of the information gaps common inMediterranean countries, where, for variousreasons (scarce human, economic, and/ortechnological resources) the following scenariosexist:

• Management information systems areavailable to support decisional processes

• Limited or sectorial management informationsystems without any integration orcoordination structural links have beenestablished.

• Efficient management information systemsare in place but they cannot keep pace withthe increasing demand.

The basic objectives on which MEDFISH wasdesigned are as follows:

• In the short term, to produce an instrumentthat enables existing or developing nationalapplications to be incorporated into a singlenetwork, as sub-systems of a singleMediterranean information system.

• In the long term, to produce an instrument tosupport decision making for interested end-users, programmers and planners (DSS).

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From the information technology point of view,MEDFISH is a model for the linking and centralisedmanagement of existing data bases (national,regional, FAO, EC, or of other organizations).

With regard to the architecture, MEDFISH is aspecialised node of an information network,where purely technical support functions arecarried out: i.e., defining work protocols andstandards; elaborating a single system for codingthe information; guaranteeing minimum levels ofinformation quality and consistency; promotingthe development of new applications; providingvarious communication interfaces betweeninstitutions, information suppliers and users. Inother words, it is a computerised workenvironment whose specialised informationsystems will be accessible to all users of thenetwork.

Functionally speaking, MEDFISH is an interfacethat permits rapid and easy access to informationfrom various sectors, countries, and disciplinesaccording to formats differentiated by usecategory.

The overall structure of MEDFISH can be illustratedas a pyramid with a square base, the four facesrepresenting respectively the national component,the regional component (figs. 1-2), the visibility ofthe FAO information component, and thecommunication system. The progressive narrowingof the pyramid from the base upwards reflects theprocess of aggregation of the elementarycomponents (e.g., the databases available in agiven country) in more and more complexstructures (e.g., national information systems) tothe decision making support tool.

As already mentioned, MEDFISH is a conceptualmodel NOT a computerised system. It is a structurallink between information systems and does not(and should not) have its own database.Consequently, its implementation will not bepossible until at least the principal componentshave been completed, tested and activated (SIPAMand COPEMED for aquaculture and fisheries in theWestern Mediterranean; ITAFISH as the nationalcomponent; POPDYN for marine populationdynamics; SPECIESDAB for the taxonomical andbiological aspects of the species, etc.).

4.3.2 SIPAM

The SIPAM project (System for the Promotion ofAquaculture in the Mediterranean) is pending the

implementation of an information systemnetwork, established under the auspices of theGFCM (SIPAM, 1992).

Its general objective is to promote thedevelopment of aquaculture in countries of theMediterranean area. Specifically it will:

• Assist people working in the public andprivate sectors to rapidly and easily access theinformation necessary for various levels ofdecision making in acquaculture.

• Provide cognitive support to the aquacultureresearch network through the reciprocalexchange of information.

• Provide support to research planners bymaking available a global and up-to-datepicture of the state of the art of aquaculture.

SIPAM’s strategy is based on the implementationof a single regional information system as the sumof similar parts (fig.3); in other words, SIPAMattempts to promote the development of nationalinformation systems with similar structures, linkedby a communication network:

• The end users (governments, institutions,workers, researchers) access theMediterranean network through their ownnational system,

• Each national system is fed by sources alreadyexisting in the country through transferinterfaces pre-set for loading the information,

• The national systems communicate with eachother through the Regional Centre, which actsas the hub station,

• The Regional Centre also connects thenational systems with remote systems, such asthe FAO-FIR system.

4.3.3 COPEMED

COPEMED is a five-year project under the FAO-SPAIN Cooperation Programme. It wasestablished in 1996 to provide advice andtechnical assistance in the central and westernMediterranean, as well as to form a collaborationnetwork to support the coordination of fisherymanagement activities. Eight countries in theregion are involved: Algeria, France, Italy, Libya,Malta, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia. One of theactivities of COPEMED’s programme of work isexplicitly dedicated to information systems and

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MANAGEMENT

METAFILE

NATIONAL

Decisions

MEDFISH - Data Model - Information to support decision makingNATIONAL COMPONENT

Integrated system

Data standardisation

Domains

Various data banks withdirect or remote access

Information SystemSupport to decision makingConstruction of the models

Analyses and models

Bidirectional interface protocols

Coherence and integrationinside the domain

Procedure

Predefined reports and documentsDynamic construction of models

Use of external modelsGlobal coherence and integration

E L E M E N T A R Y D A T A B A S E S

INTERFACE

STRUCTURED Access

NON STRUCTURED

SEMI STRUCTURED

(Interactive options)

fig.1

MANAGEMENT

METAFILE

REGIONAL

Decisions

Data standardisation

MEDFISH - Data Model - Information to support decision making REGIONAL COMPONENT

Global data bank with open structure

Regional sectorial data banks

Various countries Various data banks withdirect or remote access

Information SystemSupport to decision makingConstruction of the models

Analyses and models

Bidirectional interface protocols

Coherence and integrationinside the domain

Procedure

Predefined reports and documentsDynamic construction of models

Use of external modelsGlobal coherence and integration

N A T I O N A L D O M A I N S

INTERFACE

STRUCTURED Access

NON STRUCTURED

SEMI STRUCTURED

(Interactive options)

fig.2

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internet connections. Its Executive Committee hastherefore decided to incorporate the MEDFISHmodel into COPEMED.

The geographical coverage will be limited to theproject area, i.e., to the central and westernMediterranean.

Various sub-systems will be developed during thecourse of the project, such as: Research anddevelopment, Statistics, Documentation andelectronic library, Species biology and populationdynamics, Infrastructures, Regional activities, andLegislation.

The first sub-system ‘Research and Development’has already been completed and delivered to thecountries participating in the project for the datainput and revision operations. The sub-systemcomprises seven databases: Institutions, Priorities ofthe institutions, Experts, Projects, Documentation,Results and Networks operating in the area.

The second sub-system, which will contain theRegister of the fishing fleet and fishery operations,is under preparation. It has been created toprovide cognitive instruments to monitor, control,and supervise fishery and other related activitiesin external waters under national jurisdiction aswell as to define realistic measures of control.

In the planning of further project activities,priority will be given to:

• involvement and participation of the nationalusers (administrations)

• identification of national priority needs withrespect to the regional picture

• training of users, at all operative anddecisional levels

• integration or interfacing of other projects orinformation systems.

5. OBJECTIVES

5.1 Background

The broad strategy of the ITAFISH project is todesign, develop and test a computerised systemfor organising, storing and eventually undertakinga first analysis of the mass of data available onfisheries and aquaculture in a Mediterraneancontext. This strategy aims at achieving twoobjectives.

The first, in the short term, is the design anddevelopment of an integrated data base(management) system for Italy, based on the"open architecture" technology, where variousfishery and aquaculture sectors converge. Thearchitecture should enable ITAFISH to work on twooperating levels: the decision-making level, wherethe support of structured information is needed,and the data collection and processing level wherean instrument is needed to manage the

National users and Information sources

National Centres

FAO Fisheries Department

RemoteData Bank

RegionalCenter

fig.3 SIPAM Network

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information. At the same time, the datamanagement system must allow for bothcentralised and peripheral management of theinformation.

The second, a long-term objective, is to contributeto rationalising the means, methodologies andresults of most of the data collection anddissemination activities in the Mediterranean.Ideally, ITAFISH will constitute the nationalcomponent of the wider regional project,MEDFISH, at present still in the initial phase.

The two objectives will have to be undertakensequentially, over time. In fact, it is widely felt thatno progress can be made in implementing aregional information network unless nationalinformation systems have previously beendesigned, implemented and adequately tested.

ITAFISH was conceived as a system which, throughthe creation of a data and information networkbetween institutions and users, incorporatesalready-acquired knowledge, develops andintegrates new applications, and establishesstandards for the exchange of information:

• it is an instrument which assembles anddisseminates Italian fishery and aquacultureinformation,

• it is a virtual information site, whose wealthof knowledge is physically located with thepeople working in the two sectors,

• it is a system designed to expandautonomously, from an initial nucleus,

• it is designed so that it is the users, who areat the same time exploiters and suppliers ofthe information, who diffuse and enlarge thesystem.

5.2 Specific objectives

The above outline of ITAFISH’s objectivessummarises the innovative information systempolicy of the Italian Government and FAO tojointly support the development of the fishery andacquaculture sectors.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that the ITAFISH projectwill not be able to undertake all the relatedactivities, but can only constitute the initialnucleus around which successive action andcultural, technological and economic resourcesconverge.

Whatever the nature of a project, however, itsspecific objectives must first be defined in order todraw up the plan of work. These objectives shouldof course be in accordance with allotted resources,and their achievement should be feasible withinthe time scheduled, and be measurable at the endof the project.

Accordingly, and starting from the considerationthat ITAFISH is made up of essentially twocomponents: the Italian component and theinternational component, a set of specificobjectives were identified:

The Italian component

• construct a tool to manage the informationfrom the public and private sectors, whichcan answer scientific, technical,administrative and routine questions andwhich is no longer reserved only to supportresearch and administrative activities

• aggregate numerical data (statistical data),alphanumerical data (qualitative data),cartographic data (description) into a singleinformation system based on computertechnology

• join fisheries and aquaculture into a singlesector of marine resources production.

• assign the same importance to data andinformation from generators of information(fishery/fishermens’ associations, governmentauthorities, sovranational organisations, andabove all, research institutes, etc.) as thatgiven to data from the statistical system,citing the results produced in the course ofthe activities (which is often available onlyinternally).

The International component

• participate, through the Italian component, inthe development or expansion of the SIPAMand COPEMED projects and, therefore, in theimplementation of the MEDFISH informationmodel

• contribute to reducing the organisational andtechnological gap between the more and lessadvanced countries in the Mediterranean areain the information field by making availableto the latter countries the informationtechnology for immediate application; to actas a catalyser for establishing a policy ofcomplete cooperation in the fishery andaquaculture sectors.

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6. PROJECT CRITERIA

6.1 Grid type model

One of the factors which most affects centralisedinformation systems is the extreme difficulty ofkeeping up with the growing amount ofinformation let alone with updating theinformation they contain.

In the medium term this problem inevitably causesa non alignment of the mass of information; inother words, the information no longer representsthe reality, and the system becomes inefficient anda burden with respect to the scope for which it wascreated. In order to avoid this information trap, theITAFISH design favoured the grid type system wherethe institutional memory is broken up into severalinformation areas, each inherent to a specificproblem and updated directly by the suppliers of theinformation, as opposed to the centralised model.

Cohesion over the network is guaranteed by thetelecommunications system. Coherence betweenthe nodes is ensured by the unified informationcoding system whose consistency is safeguarded bythe ITAFISH management node, which fixes qualitystandards, sets procedures, levels and accessinterfaces, promotes the development of theinformation system, and designs new applications.

6.2 Users and suppliers of information

The ITAFISH user is a body, organisation,institution, worker, or researcher involved inresearch, conservation, exploitation,transformation, and management of the marineresource. As such, in their daily activities the userscertainly need to integrate, but also and perhapsmost of all, to compare their own informationwith that available elsewhere.

This need arises from the general awareness thatthe world of information lives in synergy:knowledge made up of more elements is certainlymore effective than a mere summation becausethe combination creates value added information.It follows that the users are naturally interested inparticipating actively in the lifecycle anddevelopment of the ITAFISH information system by:

• being alternatively a user of the informationin the system, a supplier of his/her owninformation, a sharer of the resulting valueadded information (information exchange)

• urging, proposing and sharing newinstruments for using the system (appliedexchange)

In such a context it is obvious how ITAFISH takesthe form of a mainly virtual information site: thebulk of basic data input during the course of theproject, will function as the catalyser forintegrating information residing elsewhere, i.e.,with the users.

Development of the system will therefore beguaranteed not so much by the progressiveexpansion of the initial information nucleus(which would tend to re-invent the centralisationof the system itself) but by the capacity of themanagement node to attract new users, that is togive ITAFISH the autonomy for growth.

6.3 Organisation of the information

The ITAFISH model envisages an hierarchicalorganisational structure of the mass ofinformation, proceeding from the simple to thecomplex through successive aggregations:

Information

Independent data banks

Domains

Integrated system

The independent data banks are specialiseddatabases by type of information; they areinternally coherent but do not have transversallinks.

The domains are groupings of independent databases with the same subject or theme.Operationally, they are logical connectionsbetween data banks.

The integrated system comprises the independentdata banks, the linking structures (domains), andthe access and updating procedures (managementsystem).

6.4 Codification system

The method adopted for coding the informationin ITAFISH comes from that previously used in theSIPAM project, and therefore from FAO’s method.The same participatory approach as that already

12

adopted in SIPAM was followed. In other words,ICRAM and other research institutes ofrecognised importance were constructivelyinvolved in formulating a codification systembased on international standards and at the sametime suited to the national situation andcharacteristics.

The ITAFISH coding comprises four components:

The global component

The global component codes are taken from theFAO databases and other universally acceptedinformation systems and can only be changed ifmodified at the origin.

The regional component

The regional coding subsystem has been appliedto all information of a regional nature (theMediterranean basin). To define each codereference was made to SIPAM, GFCM, and ECdocumentation. This type of coding can bemodified only in agreement with the systemmanagers of the original databases.

The national component

The national component adheres strictly to thecodes defined by the National Statistical Officewhich must be applied wherever possible.National information that is not coded accordingto the National Office’s standards cannot be inputinto the information system. It follows that asingle datum can have three different codes(global, regional, and national). In order to avoidany non alignment of the information in thesystem, ITAFISH contains a complete DataDictionary (agreed to by all the projectparticipants) that acts as an interface between thenational, regional and global components.

The sectorial component

The sectorial component is reserved for coding allthe information internal to the system, for whichthere is no corresponding code at the national,regional or global level. This component’s codesdo not reflect any scientific specificity withrespect to the contents of the informationsystem, but are dictated solely by the logic of thecomputer world in general and by the specificsystem software in particular. They are dynamicand can be modified by the system manager asnecessitated by the technical development of theproject.

6.5 Modular structure

The modular structure is the element whichguarantees the future expandability of theinstitutional memory of ITAFISH without having tocompletely, or even partially, restructure theorganization of the contents, the structural links,or the system management.

The modular components are as follows:

- each independent data base can be enlargedby inserting new elementary informationstructures (tables), whether they are related ornot to the information already in the database

- an independent data base can be linked toeach domain thereby updating the logicallinking structure

- the overall network can be enlarged byinserting new nodes, or by creating new linkswith external information structures

- the integrated system’s operations can beincremented by adding new applied moduleswhich improve the inquiry and processingfunctions.

6.6 Expandability

From the practical point of view, expandability isguaranteed by the modular structure of eachcomponent of the System, as indicated in thepreceding paragraph. It is important to note thatthe System’s nodes can also be expanded. In otherwords, all the network nodes can modify thestructure of their own institutional memorywithout having to go through the managementnode.

This characteristic is the result of the computertechnology adopted at the start of the projectwhen it was decided to construct the Systemaccording to the principle of subject matterprogramming.

Accordingly, the elements comprising the Systemwere grouped into subject matter classes(information, databases, domains, nodes, andapplications). While the user (end user,programmer, and system designer) does not knowthe internal structure of the classes, they can beaccessed through the their properties and themethods employed.

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In other words, the System comprises a series ofblack boxes, reciprocally linked by entrance andexit doors. To insert any new subject, or module,into the System it is sufficient to follow the enterand exit features (this is facilitated by a pre-setinterface which, in turn, is facilitated by themanagement node) established in the initialSystem; linkage to the elements already existing isautomatically guaranteed. Each new subject, infact, is seen as a sub-system, and as such can belinked to the network structure.

The above refers to the horizontal expandabilityof the System, i.e., the possibility of incorporatingnew network models, such as nodes, newinformation and new applications.

In the conceptual design, however, verticalexpandability was also envisaged, that is thepossibility of supplementing ITAFISH with a highertechnological level module, i.e., a Decision SupportSystem (DSS).

DSS’s are computer instruments designed to assistin the decision-making process. They areparticularly useful in the case of unstructured orsemi-structured problems that can only be solvedthrough a user/System dialogue. These kinds ofproblems are typical among analysts, planners,programmers, and decision makers. During a DSSworking session, the user can insert a datamanagement formula, carry out statistical analysis,evaluate trends with respect to a prefixedparameter, and simulate the System’s behaviour.These tools are easy to use in the case of simpleand small information models, but difficult forhighly integrated models such as ITAFISH.

For this reason, although envisaged in theconceptual design, the DSS module has not beenincluded in the present version of ITAFISH but willbe implemented in an eventual second version.

The vertical development model of ITAFISH, fromthe initial data banks to the decision makingsupport instruments, can be represented by atriangle subdivided into five "complex strata"(fig.1):

• the first stratum is made up of the variouselementary databases which are managedautonomously by the institutions which holdthe information. The stratum is capped by asingle interface, i.e., a software proceduresfilter (communication standards, consistencyand coherency controls) that guaranteestransition to the stratum immediately above.

• The second stratum is where the elementarydatabases are grouped into domains ofcommon interest. Management of thisstratum is entrusted to ITAFISH’s main node.

• The third stratum corresponds to theaggregation of the domains into a morecomplex organisational structure, i.e., theMETAFILE. In the transition from the domainsto the METAFILE all the information isstandardised, thereby guaranteeing itscoherence and consistency at the nationallevel. For the final users, the METAFILEconstitutes the "national site".

• The fourth stratum does not contain anyinformation. It holds the information accessstructures (to the METAFILE). In other words,this is where the users formulate, withdifferent access methods, their inquiries to theSystem.

• The final stratum, which as mentioned abovewill constitute the objective of a successiveexpansion of the project, corresponds to thedecision-making support instrument.

7. CONTENTS

ITAFISH is an information system that wasdesigned not only to contain, but also to link,existing information at the point from where it isgenerated. The information in the managementmodule (subject of the project) has, in fact, beenintentionally limited to basic fishery andaquaculture information. In a future developmentof ITAFISH, it is foreseeable that data banks or sub-systems of a different nature and technology willbe linked to the System.

ITAFISH’s information contents are organised onthree access levels:

• Independent data banks

are bases containing specialised data by typeof information and characterised by internalcoherence; there are no transversal links

• Domains

are groupings of independent data bases withthe same subject matter. Operationallyspeaking, the domains are logical structureswhich link internally coherent data banks withtransversal links

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• Integrated system

is the ITAFISH general information systemcomprising the information (independent databanks), linking structures (domains), access andupdating methods (management system).

The present version of ITAFISH comprises 31 databases grouped into ten domains (fig.4). The variousdata bases are integrated between each otherwithin the domain, and linked together in acomplex system architecture (fig.5). Some examplesof the user interfaces are given in annex.

Subsequent contributions to the institutionalmemory can be included in the present structureor can be represented by additional modules(database, domain). This would widen theboundaries of the present system, both in terms ofknowledge as well as of a new user field.

A description of the domains and of each databaseis given below.

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5. BIOSPECIES

6. INFRASTRUTURES

7. LEGISLATION

9. GRAPHIC SUPPORT

10. LINKS

Maps

Graphs

Subject matter

8. SUPPLIERS

1. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Institutions

Experts

Research Projects

Priorities

Results

Documents

Network

2. DOCUMENTATION

Documents not linked to the data banks

All documents

3. INFORMATION

Historical

Announcements

Documents

Internet addresses

4. STATISTICS

Fishery

Aquaculture

Production Plants

Fishing effort

Imports

Exports

Macro-economy

Sources

SpeciesDab-Ita

WinPopDyn-Ita

AcquaDab-ITA

Integrated

Ports

Boat registers

Plant registers

Protected marine areas

Legal norms

Law file

Internet addresses

Suppliers of goods

Suppliers of services

fig. 4 - ITAFISH domains and data banks

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7.1 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Data banks containing information on experts,institutions, basic and applied research carried outin Italy and abroad, and innovations andtechnological developments in the fishery andaquaculture sectors are grouped in this domain.

Institutions

This data bank contains a list of public bodies,institutes, research laboratories, cooperatives andprivate companies that undertake research infisheries and aquaculture. It gives the anagraphicdata, institutional and operational references,available telecommunications, equipmentpossessed, and services offered for each institution.

- anagrahic data: name and address ofinstitution

- institutional references: year of foundation,affiliation

- operational references: sector and subsectorconcerned (up to a maximum of 10), to whichnetwork it is associated (up to a maximum of10), species group studied (up to a maximumof 8 groups)

- telecommunication numbers: telephone, fax,Web site, e-mail

- equipment: equipped laboratory, fieldlaboratory, research vessel, hatchery basins

- services: library, computer centre, multimediaequipment, simultaneous translation,conference room, visitors’ guest house

The other data banks in this domain (Experts,Network, Documents, Results, Priorities, Projects)provide auxiliary information on the activities ofevery institution.

Experts

This data bank gathers information on expertswho undertake research in the fishery andaquaculture sectors, including persons in publicand private institutions and freelanceprofessionals. The following information is givenfor each expert:

- personal information: name and surname,address, telecommunication numbers

- academic qualifications: degree, yearattained, institute or university, languagesspoken, computer knowledge

- employment record: name of employers,positions occupied, etc.

- professional expertise: sectors and subsectorsof expertise (up to 9), species group studied(up to a maximum of 8 groups).

The other data banks (Network, Institutions,Documents, Results, Priorities, Projects) in thisdomain complete the professional profile of theexpert.

Projects

Information on projects financed by governmentaland other bodies for both applied and otherresearch in fisheries and aquaculture, as well as onthe technological developments in the sector, iscontained in this data bank. The followinginformation is available for each research project:

- description: title of project, duration, subjectmatter

- budget: cost of the project by object ofexpenditure, financing bodies, etc.

- operational: number of graduates, techniciansand experts working on the project

- scientific: line of research, species groupsstudied (up to a maximum of 8 groups).

The other data banks in the domain (Institutions,Experts, Network, Documents, Results, Priorities,)provide additional information on the activities ofthe institutions.

Priorities

This data bank contains information on the typesof research that institutes, cooperatives andprivate companies intend to undertake in thefuture. For each type of research information isgiven on the institution concerned, the line ofresearch, sector and sub-sector of expertise,duration of the research, field of application. Asalready mentioned, this data bank is automaticallylinked to the Institutions data bank which containsinformation regarding the institution concerned.

Results

This data bank holds information available on theresults of research projects or achieved in theinstitutions’ regular activities. The projectreference and name of the institution concernedare given for each result, as well as the title, type(information, study, graph, maps, managementtools, other), support and format.

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Documents

This data bank contains information on thepublications issued by the institutions on theirresearch and technological developments, asfollows:

- title

- author(s)

- year of publication

- classification: ISBN code, key words

- research project and concerned institutionreferences

- sources quoted in the document

The Institutions, Projects and Experts data banks inthis domain provide additional information on theauthors and research concerned.

Network

This data bank contains the list of associations andnetwork connections of the fishery andaquaculture sectors. In addition to the description,of each association/ network, the followinginformation is given:

- patronage

- institution concerned

- location of head office, etc.

Table 1 Domain 1 – Research and development: operators and activities in basic and applied research andtechnological development in the fishery and aquaculture sectors

Description

Research institutes and laboratories

Scientific and technical researchers

basic research projects and technologicaldevelopment

Institutions

Results of the research projects

General documentation related to thesubject matter of this domain

Association and networks linkingInstitutions, Experts, Projects

Database

Institutions

Experts

Projects

Priorities

Results

Documents

Networks

Contents

Location, specialisation, equipment, sectorsof research

Name, location, sectors of research

Title, sectors of research, cost, financing

Description

Type, subject matter, presentation

Title, location, accessibility

Name, location, sectors of research

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7.2 DOCUMENTATION

This domain is the general archive of alldocumentation relating to the fishery andaquaculture sectors.

Documents not related to the data banks

This data bank contains information on fisheryand aquaculture documents in addition to thatalready in the "Documents" data bank in theResearch and Development and Informationdomains, as follows:

- title

- author(s)

- editorial reference: editor, series, year ofpublication

- classification: ISBN code, key words

All documents

Information regarding all the documents obtainedduring implementation of the ITAFISH project areincluded in this data bank: i.e., those alreadyincluded in the Documents data bank of theResearch and Development domain (publicationsproduced by research institutions); those includedin the Documents data bank of the Informationdomain (acts and communications of conferences);and, finally, publications in the data bankDocuments not related to the data banks of thepresent domain. The following information isavailable for each document:

- title

- authors

- editorial reference: editor, series, year ofpublication

- classification: ISBN code, key words

- domain of origin.

Table 2 Domain 2 – Documentation: general archive of documents relating to fisheries and aquaculture

Description

Documentation not available inthe ITAFISH data banks

All bibliographic citationscontained in ITAFISH

Database

Documents not pertinentsto the data banks

Documents pertinents tothe data banks

Contents

Title, location, origin, accessibilty, sectorconcerned

Title, location, origin, accessibilty, sectorconcerned, domain of origin

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7.3 INFORMATION

This domain is an inventory of meetings,conventions, congresses and informationexchanges concerned with the fishery andaquaculture sectors.

Historical

This data bank contains information oncongresses, seminars, meetings, etc., on fisheriesand aquaculture that were held to date and givesthe date, place, category, title, number ofparticipants, host institution, and network towhich they belong (up to 3). The sectors and sub-sectors dealt with (up to 12 subject matters) canalso be consulted through the appropriate menus.

The link with the Documents data bank in thesame domain enables the user to consult on thescreen entire texts of meeting papers through thetext catalogue process, while the link with theNetwork and Institutions data banks in theResearch and development domain allowsreference to information on the network of thehost institutions.

Announcements

This data bank acts as a diary of meetingsscheduled in the fishery and aquaculture sectors,giving dates, venue, category, title, hostinstitution, and networks (up to 3). The topics(sectors and sub sectors) that will be dealt with (upto 12 subject matters) can also be consultedthrough the appropriate menus.

Documents

This data bank contains a list of the official papersand communications presented by the participantsat congresses, seminars, meetings, etc., held todate. The main source of this information is thepublication that contains the meeting documents.For each document or communication thefollowing data are given:

- type of event (congress, seminar, roundtable, etc.)

- title- editorial parameters (editor, series, year of

publication)- original language- key words

For each meeting there is only one documentwhich lists the papers of the meeting; instead, thecommunications may be many. As mentionedabove, the complete documents are available inthis data bank through the text catalogue process.

Internet

The Internet data bank is the inventory of the WEBsites that normally and systematically supplyinformation on meetings in the fishery andaquaculture sectors, both past and future. TheINTERNET address and a description of each WEBsite is given.

Description

Seminars, congresses, conferences,round tables, meetings, Announcements of the above

Documents and communications

WEB pages of the congresses, etc.

Database

Historical

Announcements

Documents

Internet

Contents

Location, dates category, networks of origin

Location, dates, sector, participants,interventions, network of originTitle, data bank, language

Name of the site and means of access

Table 3 Domain 3 – Information: announcements and exchange of information

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7.4 STATISTICS

This domain contains the statistics collected inItaly, with particular reference to fishery andaquaculture statistics.

The national statistical system provides for thecollection and distribution of fishery andaquaculture data in various formats andaggregations. This module is not intended as aduplication or replacement of systems already inoperation. It is proposed simply as an interface ofthe statistical aggregations in order to integratethem in the global design of ITAFISH. If it isdecided to incorporate a new data bank, or a partof it, into ITAFISH, the System will already bepreset to replace the elementary module with thenew one (see para. 6.6).

In a regional and national context this domaintakes on a strategic dimension. Therefore, beforeapplying it, it is vital that it be linked to andcomparable with the basic data collection systemsused in the country. If this model is appliedwithout interaction and a continuous link with theresults produced directly by the data collectionsystems in the field, problems of reliability,coherence and redundancy of the data willcertainly arise.

At present, this domain is considered more as amodel for determining concepts, potential andmanagement strategy, rather than as anapplication. It is believed that it will be a validinstrument for those who have to work withprimary data collection systems.

Fisheries

This data bank contains the official statistics of fishproduction in Italy, in internal waters and in thesea. It is a diachronic data bank, which providesupdated data as well as a reconstruction of thehistoric series of fishery activities.

The data are given by:

- fishing area: region, marine unit, coastal- period: year of collection- type of fishery, species groups- effort: fishing system used, type of boat used- production: tonnage of fish caught

The source of each datum is indicated.

The links with the Documentation and Graphicsupport domains enable users to obtain accurateinformation on source bibliographies and toconsult national/regional maps of the geographiclocation of the statistical data.

Aquaculture

This data bank contains official statistics regardingthe Italian aquaculture sector, both in internalwaters and in the sea. It is a diachronic data bank,which provides updated data as well as areconstruction of the historic series of aquacultureactivities.

The data are given by:

- production area: region, province, rearingenvironment

- period: year of data collection- species groups reared (up to 3 groups)- technology: type of hatchery- market: market selling the production- production: tonnage, number, etc.

The source of each datum is indicated.

The links with the Documentation and Graphicsupport domains enable users to obtain accurateinformation about source bibliographies and toconsult national/regional maps of the geographiclocation of the statistical data.

Production plants

This data bank contains official statistics regardingaquaculture production plants in Italy. It is adiachronic data bank, which provides updateddata as well as a reconstruction of the historicseries of productive plants.

The data are given by:

- location: country, region, province, internal ormarine waters

- period: month, year of data collection

- species groups reared (up to 14)

- type of hatchery

- number of plants

The source of each datum is indicated.

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The links with the Documentation and Graphicsupport domains enables users to obtain accurateinformation about source bibliographies and toconsult national/regional maps of the geographiclocation of the statistical data.

Fishing effort

This data bank contains official statistics regardingthe Italian fishing fleet in relation to the fishingeffort. It is a diachronic data bank, which providesupdated data as well as a reconstruction of thehistoric series of fishing effort.

The data are given by:

- location: country, region, province, marinedepartment, internal or marine waters

- period: month, year of data collection

- fishing typology, species groups

- technology: motorised or non-motorisedboats

- capacity: number of boats, number of crewmembers, horse power, tonnage, registeredtonnage

- activity: duration of the fishing activityperiods

The source of each datum is indicated.

The link with the Documentation domain enablesusers to obtain information on the sourcebibliographies, while that with the Boat registerdata bank and the Infrastructure domain givesaccess to accurate information on the structuraland functional characteristics of the fishing fleet.

Imports

This data bank contains official statistics regardingthe importation of marine products into Italy. It isa diachronic data bank, which provides updateddata as well as a reconstruction of the historicseries of imports.

The statistics are given by:

- destination: country, region, province,importers

- period: month, year of data collection

- fish typology, species group

- technology: method of conservation, type ofpacking

- amount: tonnage of product imported andeconomic value

- origin: place of origin of imported product

For each datum, the source is indicated.

The link with the Documentation domain enablesusers to obtain information on the sourcebibliographies.

Exports

This data bank contains official statistics regardingthe exportation of Italian marine products. It is adiachronic data bank, which provides updateddata as well as a reconstruction of the historicseries of exports.

The statistics are given by:

- destination: country, region, province,exporters

- period: month, year of data collection

- fish typology, species group

- technology: method of conservation, type ofpacking

- amount: tonnage of product imported andeconomic value

- origin: place of origin of imported product

The source of each datum is indicated.The link with the Documentation domain enablesusers to obtain information on the sourcebibliographies.

Macro-economy

This data bank illustrates the socio-economicprofiles of Italy and countries on theMediterranean from the statistical point of view.In particular, it contains data on the work force inthe agricultural, fishery and aquaculture sectors,on production, imports and exports of fishery andaquaculture products, and on the fishing fleet.Other information in the bank is strictlyeconomical, such as Internal Gross Product, percapita consumption, and VAT.

It is a diachronic data bank, which providesupdated data as well as a reconstruction of thehistoric series of the socio-economic trend of thecountry.

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The source of origin of each datum is indicated.

The data bank is enhanced by links to the otherdata banks in the same domain and to theLegislation, Documentation, Research andDevelopment and Infrastructure domains. Theinventory of the sources of origin of eachstatistical datum (ISTAT, ICRAM, EU, FAO, etc.) isstored in this domain.

The following information is given or each sourceof origin:

- title and author of document

- editor, year of publication

- official classification code

- key words.

Description

Fish production

Aquaculture production

Aquaculture plants

Active fishing fleet

Marine product exports

Marine product exports

Socioeconomic profiles

Database

Fisheries

Aquaculture

Productivity

Effort

Imports

Exports

Macro economy

Contents

Fishing area, period, type of fishery, effort,production

Area of production, period, type, technology,market, production

Location, period, type, method, number

Location, period, type, technology, activity

Destination, period, type of fish, conservation,technology, amount, origin

Destination, period, type of fish, conservation,technology, amount, origin

Work force, internal gross product,consumption, IVA

Table 4 Domain 4 – Statistics: national statistical elements

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7.5 BIOSPECIES

This domain represents a scientific databank onmarine species: systematics, distribution, biology,use in fishery and aquaculture. It assembles datain encyclopaedic format (static), as well as dynamicdata on marine stocks, their biological dynamicity,the species reared in Italy, associated with hatcherydata and parameters.

SpeciesDab-Ita

This data bank is the national version ofSpeciesDab (FAO). It was created to provideITAFISH with a classification code of marine speciesin Italy and in the region.

The data is organised by species along the lines ofthe "FAO Species Identification and DataProgramme", which is considered the basicdocument in this field.

SpeciesDab-Ita contains scientific data, e.g.,nomenclature, national and local names,biological elements of the species, geographicdistribution, as well as the level of importance ofthe fishery and aquaculture activities.

WinPopDyn-Ita

This database, derived from PopDyn (FAO), wasdeveloped to file population dynamics analysesdata and stock/species estimates in a systematicand coherent manner. It also contains materialthat has not been published.

The use of WinPopDyn will contribute tointroducing and accelerating standardisation inthis field, in which many people are working, bothat the national and regional levels. In thisconnection, since WinPopDyn has been adopted asthe standard population dynamics data bank inthe Mediterranean and FAO contexts, it is usefulfor workgroups because its data can be comparedwith those of other researchers and for othergeographic areas.

WinPopDyn-Ita handles data and parameters ofthe stocks and species in the variousMediterranean areas, associated with growthindicators, mortality, fisheries and resources, aswell as the managerial decisions taken for aparticular stock, its level of exploitation, andrecommendations by scientific bodies/authorities.

The source of each datum is indicated.

AquaDab-Ita

This database, derived from AquaDab (FAO), wasdeveloped to assemble systematically andcoherently data from studies on marine speciesreared in Italy. It also contains unpublishedmaterial.

The use of AquaDab will contribute to introducingand accelerating standardisation in this field,where many people are working both at thenational as well as at the regional level. In fact,AquaDab was designed to encourage researchersworking in the aquacultrue sector to storeinformation in a format easily accessible to thirdparties.

AquaDab-Ita is organised in two modules(AquaDab-general and Bibliography), the firstbeing divided into four sections: Environment,Reproduction, Nutrition, Pathology.

A bibliographic source is given for each datumstored in AquaDab-Ita.

Integrated

The integrated Bio-Species system is not a databank (it does not contain information). It is aninstrument which permits the user to accessdirectly and simultaneously the three data banksin this domain, in order to have a complete pictureof the marine species.

Description

Classification of biological marine and aquaculturespecies elaborated by international experts

Fish stocks

Aquaculture Stocks

Instrument to access Speciesdab, Popdyn andAquadab simultaneously

Database

Speciesdab

Popdyn

Aquadab

Integrated

Contents

Identification, specific characteristics

Identification, location, biomass

Identification, location, biomass

Location, typology, dimensions

Table 5 Domain 5 – Biospecies: typology and consistency of the marine resources

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7.6 INFRASTRUCTURES

Infrastructures is the domain which comprises thedata banks where all information is storedconcerning fixed and mobile structures used inprofessional fisheries and aquaculture in Italy.

Ports

In this data bank information are stored on theItalian ports with a fishing fleet. The informationconcerns: location, available telecommunications,administrative details, operating limits, technical,commercial and servicing infrastructures:

- location: geographical coordinates, province,region, postal reference

- telecommunications: telephone, fax,electronic mail, WEB site

- administrative details: marine department,harbour office, legal authority, RINA Office

- operating limits: access limits, draft, length,tonnage, maximum admissible size of fishingboats

- technical, commercial and servicinginfrastructures: presence and characteristics ofrefrigerating and freezing plants; oil/petrolpumps, electricity, water, ice; medicalemergency services; laying-up services;boatyard; sale of electronic items and engines;fish market; associations, marine agent.

The link to the Associations register in the samedomain enables users to obtain information onthe associations present at the port.

Boat register

This data bank stores information on the boatscarrying fishing in Italian waters. The informationincludes the data of each boat and the names ofits owners, administrative data, functional data,fishing gear, conservation and transformation ofthe product.

- personal data and owners: boat name,anagraphic data and name of owner; originand year of construction; year launched

- administrative data: registry inscription,number, port and harbour of residence,available fishing authorisations

- functional data: typology and status of theboat; structural parameters (length, heightand width of the hull; net and gross tonnage;construction material); motorization (typologyof motor and propeller, origin and year of

construction, axle power); navigationequipment; auxiliary deck gear (winches,mooring systems); communication equipment

- fishing, conservation and transformationequipment: equipment for research andproduction (probes, echosounder, sonar,lifting mechanisms, sieves for molluscs, etc.);conservation gear and plants (hold for freshfish, hold for live fish, refrigerated hold,deep freezing plants); transformation plants(production of flour, oil, transformation intofillets).

Aquaculture plants

This data bank contains an inventory of theaquaculture plants in Italy. For each plantinformation is first of all given about the company:its name and location, its trade name, availabletelecommunications.

Production is divided into four categories: fish,molluscs, crustaceans, and seaweed, and for eachcategory the following characteristics are given:

- fish: hatchery, extensive, intensive, semi-intensive

- molluscs: hatchery, long line, on piles, other

- crustaceans: hatchery, extensive, intensive,other

- seaweed: typology.

Within each category information is assembled forthe species produced (up to 19 species).

Protected marine areas

This data bank contains information on officialItalian marine parks, as follows:

- location: name, region, province, coast(internal or sea)

- administrative data: year of constitution,managing body, director of managing body, harbour office, postal andtelecommunications addresses

- social factors: counties and inhabitantsaffected by the park, fishermen present

- functional factors: total area, personnelemployed, sector and sub-sector concerned

- natural characteristics, by area (up to 5):geology, maximum depth, area, biocenosis,endangered species.

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The link with the Legal norms data bank in theLegislation domain allows users to refer to the lawwhich established the park, while the link with theMap data bank in the Graphic support domainpermits the maps of the area to be viewed andprinted.

- parameters of production: fishing activity,species fished

- map of the protected marine area.

Description

Fixed and mobile structures to exploit themarine resources

Archive of mobile structures for fisheries(boats)

Aquaculture plants

Protected areas for the conservation andmanagement of the sea

Database

Ports

BoatRegister

Aquaculture plants

Protectedmarine areas

Contents

Identification, location, accessibility, structures, logistics

Location, typology, size

Identification, name, location, speciesreared, type of plant

Identification, location, accessibility, structures, logistics, area, species

Table 6 Domain 6 – Infrastrutures: infrastructures available at the ports for fisheries

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Description

List of laws

Data bank of laws

Italian and EC laws available on Internet

Database

Legal norms

Law file

INTERNET

Contents

Identification, title, date passed, text

Identification, local, national, internationalinstitution, typology, sector concerned,waters concerned, abstract, keywords

Site identification, means of access

Table 7 Domain 7 – Legislation: archive of laws, decrees, norms, orders and sentences

this data bank. The following information isavailable for each norm:

- formal: promoting authority, juridical form ofthe norm, territory covered and period inforce

- substantive: sectors and sub-sectors of activitiesconcerned (up to a maximum of 4), marinespecies involved (up to a maximum of two)

- description: summary of the norm (in Italianand English), key words.

Internet

The Internet data bank is the inventory of WEBsites that normally and systematically provideinformation on fishery, aquaculture and marineenvironment norms. For each WEB site theINTERNET address is available together with anillustrative note.

7.7 LEGISLATION

This domain contains elements relating to nationaland EC legislation for fisheries, aquaculture andthe marine environment.

Laws

This data bank contains an inventory of thenational and EC laws for fisheries, aquaculture andthe marine environment, as follows:

- official reference: title of law, number, datepassed, date of coming into force, OfficialGazette publication number

- complete text of the law.

The link with the Protected marine areas databank in the Infrastructures domain allows theinstitutional law for each park to be consulted.

Law summaries

Summaries describing the norms included in theLaws data bank in the same domain are stored in

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7.8 SUPPLIERS

This domain contains the inventory of operatorsand private Italian companies working in thefishery and aquaculture sectors.

Suppliers

A list of Italian companies which produce andsupply goods for marine hatcheries andprofessional fisheries is provided in this data bank.For each company the following information isgiven: firstly, name, legal position, location,telecommunications available, and then by type ofgoods and type of production.

Consultants

This data bank contains data on Italian consultantswho work in the fields of marine hatcheries andprofessional fisheries and who are not employedin public institutions, as follows:

- anagraphic information: name and surname,address, available telecommunications

- academic qualifications: degree/diplomaobtained, year of graduation, institute oruniversity attended, languages known,computer technology acquired

- professional employment: employer (privateinstitution), positions held, network

- professional qualifications: sectors and sub-sectors of competence (up to 9), speciesgroups studied (up to 8)

The link to the Network data bank in the Researchand Development domain enables users to acquirereference information of the network (association)of the consultant.

Description

Producers and distributors of equipmentand plants

Consultants, excluding publicresearchers

Database

Suppliers

Consultants

Contents

Identification, location, accessibility, plants,logistics

Identification, name, accessibility, sector ofactivity

Table 8 Domain 8 – Suppliers: private operators in fisheries and aquaculture

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Description

Reference maps at national and regionallevel

Supporting graphs

Supporting images

Database

Maps

Graphs

Objects

Contents

Reference area, definition, digital format

Title, description, source, graphic format

Title, description, source, graphic format

Table 9 Domain 9 – Graphics: cartographic support for reports and documents

7.9 GRAPHIC SUPPORT

In comparison with the major part of theinformation stored in ITAFISH, this is acomplementary domain. On the one hand,through geographic reference, it enables aterritorial representation of the information(mainly statistics and infrastructures) to be madeand, on the other, it provides graphs, images,designs, etc., for presentation in reports andgeneral documents.

Maps

This data bank holds the national and regionalmaps necessary to localise geographically theinformation available in the domainsInfrastructures (data banks Protected marine areasand Ports) and Statistics (all the data banks exceptfor the macroeconomy data bank).

For each map the following information isavailable:

- title and description

- origin: author, source, year published

- digital file

Graphs

This data bank stores the support graphs, whereavailable, of the information given in the ITAFISHdata banks. The graphs are taken from documentsin the Documents data bank in the Research and

development and Information domains; in theDocumentation domain; in the data bank of theStatistics domain.

For each graph, which can be viewed on the screenand reproduced in hard copy, the followinginformation is available:

- title and description

- type and source of origin (books, meetingdocuments, newspapers and magazines,statistical manuals)

- stored graphic format

Objects

This data bank contains the supporting images tothe ITAFISH information in the other data banks.The images are of different types (photographs,designs) and from different sources (books,meeting documents, newspapers and magazines,statistical manuals, Internet).

For each object, which can be consulted on thescreen and reproduced in hard copy, the followinginformation is given:

- title and description

- type and source of origin

- stored graphic format.

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7.10 LINKS AND CONNECTIONS

This domain can be considered as the ITAFISH"window" to the outside world.

ITAFISH was designed and implemented as anopen information system, i.e., as a node of a widersystem comprising information systems managedby other countries and/or other nationalorganisations. A "window" towards externalsystems is therefore an indispensable element ofITAFISH, both for the automatic capture ofexternal information as well as for the transfer ofits own information outside.

The Links domain is not an aggregation of databanks (therefore it does not contain anyinformation). Instead, it is a complex aggregationof functions, procedures, coherence checks,reference tables, links, tools to manage the errorsand recognise pieces of information that aresimilar, whose aim is the exchange of data in anappropriate and consistent manner.

It is therefore purely a sophisticated datamanagement tool for use only by the ITAFISHmanagement nucleus and not by the end users. Itenvisages stable and automatic links with:

- SIPAM

- COPEMED

- MiPAF (Ministry of Agricultural and ForestryPolicies), Directorate General of Fisheries andAquaculture

- FAO-GFCM

To each of these links must correspond abidirectional matching system, from the ITAFISHexperts (towards the outside world) and from theexperts of other information systems (from theoutside world), in order to guarantee thesynchronisation and coherence of all the tools thatmake up the module.

A set of procedures and functions have beendeveloped to permit ITAFISH to communicate withexternal systems. In this version, only the SIPAMconnection has been used. Through thesefunctions SIPAM uses the ITAFISH updating andrevision procedures, thereby saving on humanresources, as well as achieving high coherencecontrol and a more efficient management of theinformation.

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8. TECHNICAL INFORMATION

8.1 Use

ITAFISH users are conceptually divided into fourclasses:

1. The first class of user is the Director-Generalof Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Ministry ofAgricultural and Forestry Policies.

2. The second class comprises the FAO and GFCMsupranational organisations.

3. The third class of user is made up of alloperators interested in using or participatingin the information system: i.e., centraladministrations, local administrations,research institutes, producers, associations inthe sector, students.

4. Finally, ITAFISH is addressed to countries in theMediterranean involved in projects like SIPAMand COPEMED.

Given the basic strategy of the ITAFISH project, i.e.,to establish a virtuous circle of action/reaction,where each user is also a potential supplier ofinformation, it appears evident that as theaudience in the last two classes increases, so theITAFISH information system becomes moreeffective, both in terms of the information madeavailable as well as the valued added to theexisting information.

8.1.1 Access levels

ITAFISH is an information tool of a medium-hightechnological level that is not directly accessible inall its parts by any type of user. Four different useraccess levels have been provided:

Non-expert and occasional user

This is the typical function for occasional users,i.e., for persons not of the sector who wish toconsult ITAFISH, as well as for those who useITAFISH systematically for standard contacts,reports or other. Access for these users is guided,either by the very detailed explanatory interfacesor by a "Help on-line" which introduces incolloquial format all the possible operations ateach point of the System. At this access level theuser has absolutely no autonomy and may onlyconsult the data and produce reports generatedby predefined routines. The non-expert user cantherefore query ITAFISH only through theautomatic production of reports pre-established

by the system manager, such as extent andcharacteristics of the fishing effort in Italy, by areafished, etc.

Semi-expert and frequent users

This is probably the profile that characterises thelargest pool of ITAFISH users. This group also hasguided access to all the functions described above,can also generate new "research keys" andcompile complex reports using the different databanks. These users are qualified to access all theinterfaces and links to MS-Office Pro™ products.In practice, they can export and transfer formattedand non-formatted documents to other analyticalsystems for further processing. The semi-expertusers, therefore, have a limited degree ofautonomy. They are allowed to ask questions andobtain reports of varying complexity according toestablished procedures, e.g., the relationshipbetween effort, catch and consistency of fishstocks.

Expert user

This user is an expert in the sector/sectors andalso has good computer knowledge. He/she isoften part of a support team to planning anddecision making, and defines intersectorialresearch models. Models and queries defined bythese users can be introduced into the system forfuture and regular use by other users. The expertuser, therefore, has a completely autonomousaccess to the System and is allowed to buildhis/her own strategy for queries and producingreports outside the established procedures. It isenvisaged that once the queries and reportselaborated by the expert user have beenconsolidated, they can be made accessible to theprevious types of user.

System management

This level defines the System "management" andcomprises not only the System designer, but alsothe administrator and subject-matter experts ofeach domain. These people are allowed to accessand intervene at all levels in each component ofthe System. For example, they can modify theinformation, the data structure, and theapplications, and set up connections,management operations and systemmaintenance.

The communication interfaces to the System of theabove users (non-expert, semi-expert and expert)are extremely simple and immediatelyunderstandable.

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8.1.2 Means of distribution and access

When the project is completed and given its dualownership (FAO and Fishery DG, Italy), it isenvisaged that the System will be used in twoways:

• in Italy: the Directorate General of Fisheriesand Aquaculture of the Ministry ofAgricultural and Forestry Policies will beresponsible for the institutional managementof access to the System (acceptance of user,means of and procedures for use)

• for FAO: the System can be used as a prototypeby FAO in its technical assistance to membercountries. The means of distribution and partialor total re-use of the System will depend on thetype of involvement. Technically speaking, it isenvisaged that the System will be used by:

- isolated work stations

- local and geographical networks

- Internet and Intranet

- CD Rom

- DVD

- publications and reports.

8.1.3 Operational language

ITAFISH has been developed in Italian forimmediate use. However its structure enables aquick re-elaboration in English or any othernational language (Latin characters).

8.2 Technical structure

8.2.1 Software configuration

The project has been developed in WINDOWS ’95and comprises:

• A management system for interacting databases, Microsoft ACCESS version 7, equippedwith Visual Basic ACCESS graphics, version 5.0

• Microsoft computer tools: WORD, EXCEL,PowerPoint, OUTLOOK.

To install the System only the Microsoft package isnecessary on the workstation. However, for a moreefficient use of ITAFISH access to INTERNET andelectronic mail is advised.

The System alone, complete with test data,occupies about 379 Mbytes.

8.2.2 Hardware platform

The ITAFISH software has been designed anddeveloped with the aim of facilitating to themaximum access by all interested users. Provisionhas therefore been made for its installation on anyoperative stand-alone workstation underWINDOWS ’95 and later versions.

The minimum configuration necessary is:

- Computer in the PENTIUM series

- 32 Mbytes RAM memory

- Hard disk 1.2 Gbytes (free)

- Graphics level SVGA

- 15" colour monitor

- Floppy disk 1.44 Mbytes

- CD ROM reader 12x

- Laser or ink jet printer

A backup unit such as the IOMEGA ZIP drives orothers are recommended.

8.3 Graphics and publicity

The ITAFISH System has been achieved with theclearest possible graphics interface for users(annex 2). In addition to the System describedabove, during its development ITAFISH produceda set of accessories that are included in the finalpackage:

Logo

The ITAFISH spiral logo illustrates the mass ofinformation in the data bank system. It appears onall the main screens of the data banks, as well ason all the reports produced by the System.

Brochure

A pamphlet has been prepared, in English andItalian, giving a brief description of the project andof each data bank. This brochure has the samepresentation graphics as the ITAFISH video screens.

ITAFISH Home Page on Internet

The ITAFISH home page is on FAO’s officialINTERNET site in English and Italian since 12

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December 1997 at: http:/WWW.FAO.ORG/WAICENT/FAOINFO/FISHERY. This is not theproject’s ‘real’ page, but has been designed toprovide basic information on the project and tooccupy an important and prestigious position inthe overall FAO home page. It is exclusively forinformation purposes and is not used to diffusethe data. It:

• informs the scientific community and peopleworking in fisheries and aquaculture aboutthe project, the reasons for its establishment,and its objectives;

• enables users connected to Internet torapidly contact the institutions of interest byelectronic mail. The electronic mail addressis situated at the bottom of the pagededicated to the Ministry, the Directorate-General, FAO, ICRAM and ISTAT;

• is open to all Internet users;

• contains the title of the project, its logo andthe name of the institutions involved(Director-General, ICRAM, FAO) on the firstpage.

Documentation

- Help manual (text)

- Help manual (on-line)

- Technical manual with System specifications

- Manual describing ITAFISH

- Installation manual

- ITAFISH brochure (PowerPoint)

- Structure and functions of ITAFISH(PowerPoint).

8.4 Location

The System has been installed on two workstationsin Rome, one at FAO and the other at ICRAM. TheFisheries Resources Division (FIR) of the FAOFisheries Department gave the necessarycoordination and technical support directly sincethe Division provides the most support to theGFCM Technical Secretariat.

Coordination for making the project activitiesoperational was ensured by the Team Leader (S.R.Coppola, FAO) and the responsible ScientificOfficer (D. Crosetti, ICRAM).

9. TRAINING

The project organised two training courses forpersonnel involved in the development of ITAFISH.

The first training course, held from 6-27 February1995 at ICRAM headquarters, covered operatingsystems; computer viruses; Word, Excel andInternet software. The 40-hour course was dividedinto ten lessons and covered Microsoft Windows(ver.3.1 and 95), Word, Excel and an introductionto Internet. In addition to the ICRAM staffinvolved in the project who participated in thecourse, other personnel attended specific lessons.On average, 6-7 persons attended each lesson.Because of the different levels of computerknowledge, the course dealt briefly with computerbasics so that the participants would all start at thesame level. After a brief introduction to thehardware, the course dealt with operating systemssuch as DOS and Windows 3.1 up to theinstallation, functioning and use of Windows 95;computer viruses; and Word, Excel and Internetfunctions and commands from the theoretical andpractical points of view.

The second course was held from 9-19 December1996 and was a series of specific lessons given inthe form of a seminar. The lessons covered fourbasic subjects:

- database design and management

- ACCESS relational data bank management

- software theory in general and itsapplications

- basic elements to programming with ACCESSand VISUAL BASIC.

Both the theoretical and practical aspects wereconsidered. This activity was considered veryimportant, and was planned within the frameworkof specific training for personnel collaborating inthe project development, and to prepare a teamof technicians to "maintain" the system after itscompletion. On this occasion, the "Statistics"module was used as the example to betterformulate both the theory and the practical. Theseminar was conducted by the Team Leader andAnalyst/programmer. Participants were theITAFISH group and other interested ICRAMpersonnel.

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10. WORK PLAN

10.1 Operating phases

The project was completed in 30 months, fromJanuary 1996 to July 1998.

The work plan was divided into four phases, eachaimed at obtaining one or more results throughspecific activities.

Phase 1 – January 1996 – September 1996

• Conceptual design of the data bank systemand its components

• Analysis of the data and of the functions

• Analysis of the information

• Design of the user interface

• Validation of the conceptual design by a directcomparison with the main components

• Data collection in the field

• Presentation of the conceptual model toselected users

• Analysis of standard industrial hardware andsoftware and of related cost/benefits

• Analysis of specialised personnel, costs andavailability.

Phase 2 – October 1996 – June 1997

• Revision of conceptual design

• Development of the System design and thedevelopment methodology

• Structure of file management (softwarespecifications)

• Data and information representation models(software specifications)

• Data and information integration models(software specifications)

• Definition of procedures for interfaces withthe outside

• Definition of coding systems for internationaland internal information

• Development of elementary data banksoftware

Phase 3 – July 1997 – March 1998

• Intensive development of the software

• Data collection in the field

• Development of the domains in which theSystem is organised

• Data collection in the field

• Design and development of the module forthe integrated management of the codingsystem and of the links between domains

• Integration of the elementary data banks inthe computerised system

• Verification and validation of the dataentered

• General revision of the system’s outputs

• Modification and adaptation of all the userinterfaces in an integrated architecture

• Design and development of interfaces withthe SIPAM regional system

• Collaboration agreement for the ICRAMactivities "Plants" and "Legislation".

Phase 4 – April to July 1998

• Quality control of the system and delivery tothe Directorate General

• Documentation

• Testing of printing formats

• Testing of functions

• Support documentation and transfer of thesystem to ICRAM

• Customising the commercial software

• General improvements.

10.2 Variations to the initial project

During the development of a system such as ITAFISH,which is conceptually very dynamic in the initialprogramme of work, various changes wereintroduced. This was mainly due to the method usedwhich envisaged strong interaction between thesystem design and the actual reality, each domain wasdesigned and developed with the direct andcontinuous contribution of the workers and specialistsin the sector (from the biologist, to the statistician, upto the lawyer, etc.). During its development, timelyinterventions were also introduced in order to providean-up-to date final product.

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The following is a summary of the main changeswhich characterised this work.

1) Mobility of personnel: the various colleagueswho collaborated in the development of ITAFISHwere selected on the basis of their professionalexperience as well as on the requirements of theproject at the different phases of implementation.There was therefore a certain mobility of thepersons, also due to budgetary constraints, whichwhile causing some confusion on the one hand,created work opportunities as well.

2) The Law on privacy: another disturbing factorin the development of the system was caused bythe introduction in Italy of Law 675 of 31.12.96 onprivacy. In particular, one of the ITAFISH databanks (Experts) was designed to contain personaldata which are now subject to privacy. On the dateof enforcement of the Law, this data bank alreadycontained data regarding some 700 experts. Inorder to avoid all possible implications, and inaccordance with the Law, experts included in thedata base were contacted and their specificapproval to include their personal data wasrequested. This resulted in a drastic reordering ofthe data, with the elimination of many files, andthe re-adaptation of the applications.

3) Statistics domain: An unexpected technicalproblem occurred in the Statistics domain. In fact,updating the catch data automatically importedfrom the ISTAT data proved to be a very complexoperation because ISTAT had changed the formatof the data it disseminated, and might possiblychange it again. This meant, firstly, that the catchdata had to be entered manually, and, secondly,that this activity would have to be reviewed inorder to maintain the reliability of the nationaldata and the possibility of linking to new databank formats.

4) Collaboration with other ICRAM projects:ICRAM is undertaking a research project to set upa data collection system for aquaculture data(FARM). The ITAFISH and the research project teamscooperated to join efforts as also to avoidduplication. In fact, this project envisaged thedevelopment of a data bank for some types ofaquaculture plants in Italy. A temporary data bankwas therefore developed by ITAFISH and in the nearfuture the same team will undertake the design anddevelopment of the FARM system, and will alsoensure the compatibility of the two systems.

11. RESOURCES

11.1 Financial resources

ITAFISH was financed by the Directorate-Generalof Fisheries and Aquaculture of MiPA within theframework of the Third Three-year Plan forFisheries and Aquaculture (Law 41/82) in anamount of four hundred million Italian Lire. Twohundred million Lire were transferred to FAO forits technical scientific contribution.

11.2 Human resources

Many people collaborated in the project and theircontribution was always important even when itwas only for a short period. In fact, with theexception of two grantees who worked on theproject for two years, all the personnel wasrecruited ad hoc according to specific needs.

The following persons collaborated in the project:

Responsible scientific officer:

Donatella Crosetti, Research Scientist, ICRAM,responsible for the technical/administrativeconduct of the project. Data collection andquality control. Design and finalisation of theuser interfaces and of the outputs. Terminologyrevisions.

Project Coordinator (ITAFISH):

Salvatore R. Coppola, Fishery Resources Officer(FAO-FIRM), responsible for the design anddevelopment of the system.

Technical support, data collection and input,quality control, comments, etc.:

- Luca Garibaldi, Biologist (FAO), Data Manager

- Sabrina Agnesi, Biologist (recipient of ICRAMgrant)

- Gabriele La Mesa, Biologist (recipient ofICRAM grant)

- Tommaso Luciano, Nautical technician (ICRAMtechnician)

- Luigi Ferro, Statistician (ICRAM contract)

- Ferruccio Tata Nardini, Engineer (FAO contract)

- Paolo Panunzio, Lawyer (ICRAM contract)

- Giacomo Bettocchi, Engineer (FAO contract)

Programming:

- Riccardo Bugliosi, Computer expert (FAOcontract), programme analyst

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- Andrea Gallucci, Programmer (FAO contract),computer programmer

- Marco Spinelli, Programmer (FAO contract),computer programmer

- Fabrizio Freda, Programmer (FAO contract),computer programmer

Graphics:

- Tomaso Favale, Graphics expert (ICRAMcontract)

- José Luis Castilla Civit, Graphics expert (FAO contract)

11.3 Computer resources

The system was developed internally without anyexternal assistance. Supporting software and thehardware configuration used are given below:

- Microsoft WINDOWS 95™, Italian version- Microsoft Office Professional 95™, 4.3 (8

manuals + 28 floppy disks)- Microsoft Office 97™ Update (Manual + 1 CD)- Microsoft Office 97 ODE Tools™ (Manual + 1 CD)- VisualBasic Pro Upgrade™ (3 manuals + 2 CD)- Visual J++™ (2 manuals + 1 CD)- Corel Web Graphics Academic Version™ (1 CD)- Corel Draw 7 ™ Italian (3 CD)- Corel Web Master Suite ™ (2 manuals + 2CD)

- Norton Uninstaller 4 ™ (manual + 1 CD)- Norton Utilities 2.0 ™ (3 manuals)- PCAnyWhere 32 ™ English (manual + 4 floppy

disks)

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

If the multi-disciplinary information needed forresearch and resource management is collectedand managed in a systematic and coherentmanner, then it represents a strong investment,both in terms of human resources as well as ofwork produced.

The concept of the ITAFISH project was to providethe methodology to develop a made-to-measurecomputerised system for Italian institutions andlaboratories involved in the collection andmanagement of fishery and aquaculture data. Itis believed that this has been incorporated in thefinal product.

The development model and the systemarchitecture make it possible for ITAFISH tointegrate with other components, and in turnintegrate them, thereby constructing a made-to-measure system as a national model. Theconceptual design also envisaged its integrationinto a regional network, where ITAFISH would bethe national interface to connect with other twinsystems in the network to give life to a regionalsystem (MEDFISH).

Model – Description

IBM 6576 – Pentium 90 - 8Mb RAM1.7 Gbytes Hard Disk - MouseVideo Colour 15’’ - SVGA

IBM Clone - MMX 200 - 32Mb RAM1.7 Gbytes Hard Disk - MouseVideo Colour 15’’ - SVGAIomega Zip 100 Internal - CD Rom Player

BackPass 2x - Esterno

IOMEGA Bernoulli Box 230 Mb esterno- Parallelo

Compaq 410 - Contura DX2-50

HP 560C DeskJet Colour PrinterHP ScanJet + OCR

LaCie 4x

Equipment

2 personal computer

1 personal computer

1 reader CD ROM

1 dispositivo back up

2 portable computers

2 colour printers

1 scanner

1 CD burner

Remarks

For formulation, controls, data entry,documentation, etc.

For development and testing

Back-up

Data collection and testing

Printing documents, designs and reports

Hardware configuration

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During the course of its development ITAFISH hasalready produced some positive results, which canbe summarised as follows:

• the data banks and conceptual approach ofthe COPEMED information system model arebased on ITAFISH

• ITAFISH contributed to the development ofthe SIPAM regional network componentwhere the interfaces and theconnecting/linking models were developedthrough the SIPAM-ITAFISH test

• ITAFISH was selected as the base system forthe ADRIAMED project, and its application willbe used in the Adriatic countries, through aregional component at the Project’sheadquarters

• ITAFISH was proposed as the nationalcomponent of a GFCM Mediterranean system(MEDFISH) and accepted by the GFCMWorking Group on "Fishery Economics andStatistics" at its meeting in Rome from 2-5March 1998

• The Workshop on the Coordination ofFisheries Research in the EasternMediterranean held in Iraklion (Greece) from6-8 February 1997, recommended thedevelopment of a system like ITAFISH forapplication in its area of competence

• ITAFISH has contributed to the technical andscientific formation of some young Italianresearchers.

Further evolution of ITAFISH

As already mentioned, ITAFISH was designed toincorporate already acquired knowledge, developnew applications, establish standards forexchanging information, and contribute toconstructing a network between institutions,users, data and information from a regional(Mediterranean) point of view.

In this connection, two theories for developmentat the national and regional level can beformulated.

1) National level

Further development at the national level wouldaim at completion of the system by integratingwith other data banks in the sector within theframework of an institution.

ITAFISH was designed for possible inclusion in alarger and more complex structure without havingto make large changes. It could be applied at thenational level as a prototype for, or complementto, a larger system based on multi-sectorial andgrid dynamics for data collection and informationdissemination.

For its introduction at the infrastructural level, thefollowing activities are recommended:

• harmonise the multi-disciplinary datacollection systems,

• coordinate and standardise the dataprocessing,

• ensure a regular and controlled flow ofinformation towards the multi-user,

• train the personnel assigned to thesefunctions

• establish a team within the institution that isable to undertake the ordinary managementof the system

• provide support for the routine work of thevarious Secretariats and Commissions withinthe institution

• set up a national network to deal with thefishery and aquaculture problems.

From a purely technical point of view thefollowing initiatives should be considered:

i. Synchronisation of the ITAFISH (version 1) withthe other data bank systems already operatingat the institution and the institution’srequirements

The activities to be undertaken should mainlycomprise:

• a critical analysis of the whole ITAFISH (version 1): functions, performance, internalquality controls, etc.

• a comparative analysis of: domains and databanks in the ITAFISH (version 1) with databanks already owned by the institution andother data banks considered necessary for theinstitution.

• determining the overall content (at domainand data bank level) of the new system (e.g., ITAFISH version 2).

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• reorganising the domains to meet the needs ofthe institution (eliminate duplication,redundancies, etc., at data and function levels).

• a detailed global analysis of the contents(fields) of the data banks with characteristicsof origin (redundancy and coherence) of thedata and of hierarchical competence (dataduplicated in different data banks).

• defining the global dictionary of ITAFISH(version 2).

ii. Revision of ITAFISH verion 1 in ITAFISH version 2

Revision of the domains and data banks assignedto ITAFISH (version 2), such as:

• restructuring some of the domains andassociated data banks

• revising the ITAFISH (version 2) dictionary inaccordance with the global system

• revising the ITAFISH (version 2) coding(programming)

• revising some of the functions and associatedfields

iii. Design and develop the System in Intranettechnology

2) Regional level

Although ITAFISH still needs some refining, itshould be utilised and consolidated as quickly aspossible so that the work already undertaken, themethodology used and the results obtained willnot be completely or partially lost.

The basic recommendation that comes to mind isthat ITAFISH should not be thought of as the finalproduct, but as the architecture of a system to beused and developed further. Certainly, ITAFISHmust not be considered as ‘the system to beadopted’ but, thanks to its architecture, it can besegmented and modelled so as to obtain a systemas close as possible to the needs of the primaryuser. All the ITAFISH components must thereforebe verified in the field (i.e., an analysis such as thatgiven in item Results 1 of Activity 1), as alsowhether a data bank, a domain or some of thesimple functions should be modified, improved oreven substituted. The need to include other databanks in the existing domains, or add domains nottaken into account at the time of the project willalso have to be checked. This analysis will give

ITAFISH the dynamism that a modern multi-disciplinary information system requires.

It can already be foreseen that, after a running-inphase, three scenarios will emerge for the futuremanagement of ITAFISH:

Scenario 1: An entire ITAFISH domain will becompletely accepted in the final System, even ifsome of the functions or representations areappropriately modified.

Scenario 2: An ITAFISH domain does not containthe data bank(s) that the institution considersnecessary to complete the domain. In this case,the data bank concerned is developed followingITAFISH conditions and protocols, and is includedin the domain with all the links and accesses thatthe architecture permits. In this scenario the databank(s) concerned could already have beendeveloped within the institution, or could existin another body under the institution’s authority.In this case, it will have to be decided whetherto completely integrate the new data bank(s),appropriately modified, or to create physicallinks, even remote ones, to enable ITAFISH toaggregate the data in the new data bank, andthe new data bank to access all the ITAFISH data.

Scenario 3: A completely new domain must beadded to ITAFISH to host a set of data banks thatstill have to be designed and developed. This isthe typical case of another research project thatgenerates, or has generated, a new line of datacollection and problems. Also in this case thestarting point is a detailed analysis to verify thepossibility of integrating the domain or whetherto link it through exchange protocols so as tomake this domain, or part of it, visible to ITAFISHwithout this System managing the base.

The ITAFISH project also envisages asupplementary phase that will start once theprogrammed objectives have been achieved. Inthis phase the design and development of aninterface in Intranet technology for the researchand presentation of the data and informationcontained in ITAFISH will be experimented in atotally integrated and graphics mode.

A last reflection that comes to mind is the use ofITAFISH in the Mediterranean context based onthe credibility it has already acquired. It would beuseful if FAO-GFCM could also give this tool itsregional collocation.

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The hypothesis at the regional level is obviouslyaimed at the construction of a regional system,where ITAFISH, appropriately calibrated to thatreality, is the national module, linked through thenetwork to other twin systems, and all convergingtowards a regional system or centre.

Below is an idea for a project implementingITAFISH-MEDFISH concepts that would comprisethe following tasks:

• Training personnel in the national centres indata collection and quality control

• Establishment of a network of nationalcoordination centres through directinterventions.

• Assistance to other regional networks to fulfiltheir objectives in the framework of datacollection and data management

• Establishment of a national centre of Fisheryand Aquaculture data/information (database/data management)

• Revision, development and installation in thenetwork centres of national databases andassistance to the same in the initial phase. Inthis activity, the experience, applications andmodels developed in the ITAFISH project willbe used.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Coppola, S. (1992) - SIPAM - An Information Systemfor the Promotion of Aquaculture in theMediterranean Region. Conceptual design.Rome, FAO. Project UNDP/FAO/RAB/89/005/12,33p

Coppola S. (1997) - MEDFISH - A Data andInformation Model for Decision Support toFishery and Aquaculture Management forthe Mediterranean - GFCM - Working Partyon Fishery Statistics and Economics. April1997, 27p

Coppola, S.R., Fisher, W., Scialabba, N., Carpenter,K. (1994) - SPECIESDAB - FAO Global SpeciesDatabase for fisheries purposes. FAOComputerized Information Series (Fisheries)N° 9. Rome, FAO, 103p

Coppola, S.R., Garibaldi, L., Die, D. (1994) -POPDYN - Population Dynamics Database -User Manual - FAO Global Species Databasefor fisheries purposes. FAO ComputerizedInformation Series (Fisheries) No 7. Rome,FAO, 30p

Coppola, S.R. (1994) - Sistema Informatico para laPlanificacion de la Acuicultura enLatinoAmerica y el Caribe. SIPAL - Documentode campo N. 17. Programa CooperativoGubernamental FAO-Italia. GCP/RLA/102/ITAI.Mexico, D.F. Mayo 1994, 36p

Crosetti, D. (1998) - Messa a punto di una bancadati sulla ricerca in pesca ed acquacoltura inItalia. Relazione finale, Progetto III° PianoTriennale Pesca Marittima ed Acquacoltura,L.41/82, 31p

FAO (1995) - Code of Conduct for ResponsibleFisheries, FAO, Rome, Italy.

GFCM (1998) - International Initiatives of Relevanceto Fishery Statistical Programmes. SecondSession of the Working Party on FisheriesEconomics and Statistics. General FisheriesCommission for the Mediterranean. GFCM:WP/98/Inf.4. Rome, Italy, 2-5 March 1998.

Oliver, P., Coppola, S., de Leiva, J. (1997) - Researchcapabilities, national institutions,international structures and programmes inthe GFCM. Paper presented at the workshopon the coordination of fisheries research inthe Eastern Mediterranean - 6-8 February1997, Iraklion, Crete, Greece.

SIPAM (1998) - An Information System for thePromotion of Aquaculture in theMediterranean Region. Sipam DevelopmentTeam. - User Guide - Release 2.0 Rome, FAO.Project UNDP/FAO/RAB/89/005/12, 72p

DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR FISHERIESTHE “ITAFISH” CASE STUDY

STUDIES AND REVIEWSNo. 72 2001

ISS

N 0374-7236

GENERAL FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN

FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations

O

The purpose of the Itafish project, executed jointly by the Italian Ministry of

Agricultural and Forestry Policies and FAO, was to design, develop and test a

computerized system or methodology for the organization, storage and first

analysis of the existing data on fisheries and aquaculture available in the

Mediterranean for decision-making. The system is based on a network of

institutions and users that exchange data and information using the

applications and exchange formats developed by the project. This paper

describes the Itafish project regarding: the context in which it was conceived

and developed, its contents, the input models, the functioning and the outputs,

and how it is managed. A separate manual is also available describing the

installation of the system and its more technical specifications. The development

model and the system architecture of Itafish make it possible for Itafish tointegrate with other components, thereby constructing a made-to-measure

decision-support system as a national model. The conceptual design also

envisages its integration into an eventual regional network where Itafish

would be the national node or interface that connects with other similar

systems in the network.

Istituto Centraleper la RicercaScientificae TecnologicaApplicata al Mare

9 7 8 9 2 5 1 0 4 7 0 1 9

TC/M/Y2793E/1/12.01/1200

ISBN 92-5-104701-4 ISSN1020-7236