The International Centre for
Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), with its headquarters in Nepal,
was established in 1983 to serve as a forum for sustainable development
within the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. This range of mountains stretches
from Afghanistan in the west through Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Bhutan
and Bangladesh, ending in Myanmar in the east. ICIMOD aims to be a
multidisciplinary centre for research and training on integrated mountain
development. It also acts as the hub of an organised information network
for the systematic exchange of knowledge on poverty alleviation and
sustainable development.
These functions require
accurate and reliable information that can be disseminated effectively.
Geo-information systems (GIS) have emerged as powerful tools for
integrating spatial and attribute data. Analytical results can be
forcefully presented with the help of colourful maps and 3-D images.
To promote the use of GIS
applications in sustainable mountain development, in 1991, ICIMOD
established the Mountain Environment and Natural Resources' Information
Systems (MENRIS). MENRIS focuses its efforts on introducing the potential
of GIS technology to partner institutions and strengthening their capacity
to apply it. It also develops biophysical and socioeconomic datasets
relevant to the region, and acts as a resource centre and clearing-house
for the exchange of information on GIS. Through its close contacts and
collaboration with research institutions, space agencies and suppliers,
especially its strategic alliance with ESRI, MENRIS has fostered the
establishment of a strong GIS network serving this vast and diverse
region.
