Review-2001/10 -  maESTro -Web - Database on Environmentally Sound Technologies- Courtesy United Nations Environment Programme - UNEP

MaESTro is a comprehensive global directory on Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs). It is a database which contains information on a full range of environmental technologies, institutions and information sources. The technology can be 'hard', 'soft', and may be nature-based or artificially created. All information contained can be shared with other maESTro users. All maESTro users are welcome to enter their own data through web, e-mail, and/or mail so that users can interchange information through this interactive database.

maESTro is a database which contains information on a full range of environmental technologies, institutions and information sources including air and water pollution, environmental management, human settlements, recycling toxic substances, solid waste, wastewater, water augmentation and more. The information is regularly updated by IETC as well as EST contributors, individual users, organizations and institutions.

Sources of Information:

Since 1996, maESTro has been honored to partner with numerous government ministries, including the Ministry of Environment in New Zealand, the Ministry of Nature & Environment in Mongolia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection in Lithuania, the Ministry of Environment & Forests in India, the Ministry of Housing, Municipality & Environment in Bahrain, the Ministry of Environment in Lebanon, the Ministry of Energy & Mines in Eritrea, and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea.

Efforts have been focused on negotiating with potential environmental information contributors to promote the exchange of EST-related information. The contributors to maESTro include: UNIDO in Austria, GEC (Global Environment Centre Foundation) in Japan, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the United States, OCETA (Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement) in Canada and others.

Type of literature:

Data in maESTro are categorized into three fields: "Technology", "Institution", and "Information System":

• Technology: hard and soft technologies from all regions of the word and they may be nature-based or artificially created.
• Institution: a compilation of currently about 460 institutions worldwide dealing with ESTs
• Information System: information tools (i.e. data bank, directory) that supply information on ESTs

MaESTro is a useful resources for persons working in UNIDO, UNDP/GEF projects as well as the researchers and activists working on environmental issues. The web-maESTro enables all Internet browsers to log in for free anytime in search of environmental information and to browse the latest data in a timely and direct fashion. Although registration is not mandatory, IETC recommends users to register maESTro for their convenience. Registration in web-maESTro is free and needs no approval from IETC.

Followings are the advantages entitled to the registered users.

• Personalized information. On the welcome page of maESTro, you will see how many new and updated information has been entered since your last visit.
• Notification by e-mail. For your convenience, whenever there is a major change in maESTro system, you will be notified by e-mail.
• Insert and modify data. Users can insert and modify their own information into the maESTro database. Users who have inserted new data can keep, preview, modify and delete their data in the Personal Database until the data is completed satisfactorily and is ready to be sent to IETC for verification.
• Working Group Facility. maESTro offers a working group facility that enables users and their partners to work together using network system. This means that users can share, view, and modify information among various users in the same working space.

The web-maESTro enables all Internet browsers to log in for free anytime on the URL: (http://www.unep.or.jp/maestro/). The data is updated on a daily basis by IETC. Furthermore for better understanding, images are attached to some information.

maESTro was first developed as an information tool to disseminate information on Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) on floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs and report (hard-copy) format for free of charge. In March 1998, in response to maESTro users' request, IETC has decided to further develop maESTro through the worldwide web so that people can access it through the Internet.

The information in the maESTro database is regularly updated by IETC as well as EST contributors, individual users, organizations and institutions. If you would like to start your search with the newly developed web-maESTro, please access through the URL: http://www.unep.or.jp/webm

Please visit the maESTro Web Site or the UN Common Library to consult MaESTro Database and online retrieval of information through our Free Internet Access Terminals.Otherwise, please feel free to use Ask UNCOL, our phone / email-based remote reference service to make database searches for you for the document/s you need and send the search results or document/s to you by return email. The documents may be printed, downloaded on Floppy discs or saved and delivered electronically to an e-mail address as an attachment.