INFORMATION ACQUISITION AND USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENTISTS

INTRODUCTION
The creation of man is coupled with the creation of certain elements with which he can interact with, which will make life easier for him. All these (both man and other elements) were deposited in a certain place called “environment”. With Man’s insufficient awareness, and low-dose exposures that earth (natural resources inclusive) does not have infinite resources. Hence, these limited resources must be conserved, used ones be recycled, and where possible be refined and reused, therefore the art of environmental management is made known.
Man’s act of wastefulness and management imbalances as regards his input and interaction with his environment led to environmental abuse. Though disproportionate pollution in the environmental is caused by many factors, yet Man’s contribution to it would not be underestimated. Therefore the knowledge of environmental management scientist is imperative in providing a lasting solution to environmental problems, and curbing such occurrence in the future using the power of information.
ENVIROMENTAL INFORMATION
Defining environment is complicated because of its nature and views of different experts, scientist, environmentalist, e.t.c. in the field of environmental management. World book encyclopedia (2006) says “environment is everything that is external to an organism”. A man’s environment includes such factors as temperature, food supply, and other people. Both the aboitic and biotic environments interact to make up the total environment of living or non-living things.
Mensah (1992) in Popoola (2006) asserted that “environment consist of all the external factor forces with which one interacts from conception until death”. It includes the physical, chemical, biological, psychological, and socio-cultural dimensions. Environment is defined as all the surrounding conditions which influence growth and development of man”. -Popoola (1995)
Nonetheless, environment can be said to be everything that makes up the surroundings in which a man lives. As such comprises of physical environment- air, water, land, mountains, rivers, climate, e.t.c. and social environment- languages, norms, religion, laws, trade, e.t.c.
Environment may at times determine the ways of life of man-“environmental determinism”. In this state, environment determines man’s occupation, dress, food, language, e.t.c. In another manner, its man that determine his environment-“environmental possibilism”. This allows man to influence his environment (physical and social) for his pleasure and benefit. This aggravated man to produce and manufacture amenities like roads, house, and cars, make norms, taboo, and laws, e.t.c. Many more are components of environment, but the principal ones are: water, land, and air, i.e. (atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere).
The dynamism of its nature makes information to emerge in every human endeavor and activities, especially in finding complete and dependable solution to any question or problems that may emerge as a result of user’s level of uncertainty on a particular concept or problem, or in making a rational decision which would trigger development and innovation. Man’s quest to know more about his environment leads to information acquisition. Information surface in environmental planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation. It is a treasured and important fixed factor of any production, valued by environmental scientists, developmental planners and information professionals.
Being given many definitions, Budd (1992) defined information as “one of the building blocks in which data are the ore (raw materials) followed by information which then leads to knowledge and this in turn gives rise to understanding which then leads to wisdom and consequently to decision-making”.
Also, “information is any processed data, available in different format that is reliable enough in giving response to information needs of its users at a given time. With such increases users’ knowledge on a particular problem and help in future to make decisions.
Environmental Management requires a lot of information, because information aim at development, attached to different human activities, and thus, knowledge of environmental information is necessary. Taiwo (2007) said “Environmental information is the information that has value, capable of being used for rational-decision making and has to be designed to lead to action, i.e. good management of the environment”
Moreover, Popoola (2006) added that “Environmental information can be defined as news, messages, ideas, facts, and processed data obtained form published and unpublished sources that are capable of increasing or improving the knowledge state of users on matters relating to environmental problems and how best to manage it for good living”
In this regard, environmental information relates to:
• The state of elements of the environment- air, water, soil, land, e.t.c
• The state of human health and safety conditions of man’s life.
• Any factor such as substances, energy, noise, waste and other releases affecting or likely affect the state of the elements of environment or interaction between them.
• Emissions, discharges and other releases into the environment.
Hence, environmental information covers:
 The environmental itself; water, land, air, animal e.t.c.
 Things that affect the environment; noise, emission, e.t.c.
 Policies, plans and laws on the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENTIST
Managing environment for healthy living of its inhabitant is necessary, especially in the today’s changing world. Studies, researches and surveys on the interaction between man and his environment, and how it affect the healthy living of man must be carried out by specialists in environmental management.
Consequently, “Environmental Management Scientist are the specialist who carry out researches on how man interact with his physical and social environment, and how his input to the environmental management affects his life expectancy and total well being”.
The researches to be carried out by environmental scientist could focus, among others on either, or all of the following:
• Precautionary approach
• Corporate priority
• Emergency preparedness
• Contribution to the common effort
• Openness to the public
In achieving environmental objective towards the control of environmental pollutants, environmental scientists need to work in collaboration with environmental engineers, whose work is based on efforts to prevent and control air, water, soil, and noise pollution. And also develop equipment to measure pollution. And conduct experiments to determine the effect of various pollutants.
Environmental Scientist entrusted with the sole responsibilities of environmental researches which would be useful for planning, enforcing, monitoring, and evaluation of environmental policies must possess the following features among others:
 Result oriented
 They must possess team spirit
 Ability to work with less supervision
 High level of creativity
 Academic qualification
 Social and Environmental knowledge
 Computer literacy
 Technological skills e.t.c.
More so, it is with the disposal of environmental scientist to work with the contributions of all branches of scientific study, which is divided into four, namely:
• Mathematics and Logic
• Physical and Sciences
• Life Sciences
• Social Sciences
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Organisms and their environment constantly interact, and both are changed by this interaction. Like all other living creatures, human have clearly changed their environment, but they have done so generally on a major scale than all other species.
With the coming of this pollution, each part of the environment, this depends on each others, and upon the plants and animals living within the environment, and make up an ecosystem is affected.
Pollution can be invisible, odorless, tasteless and colorless. Water and soil pollution threaten the ability of farmers to grow enough food. Oceans pollution causes dangers for many marine organisms. (World Book, Inc. 2006).
Types of environmental pollution are discussed below in brief:
AIR POLLUTION: This is the contamination of the air such substances as fuel exhaust and smoke, which can harm both the health of plants and animals, damage buildings and other structures. Air pollution may be indoor or outdoor.
WATER POLLUTION: The contamination of water by sewage, toxic chemicals, metals, oils, or other substances. It also comes from businesses, farms, homes, industries, and other sources.
LAND POLLUTION: This is the destruction made to the earth’s thin layer of healthy, productive soil, where much of our food is grown. This is caused by overuse of fertilizer, pesticides, poor drainage, and bush burning e.t.c.
SOLID WASTE: Probably, this is the most visible form of pollution. Every year, people dispose of billions of tons of solid garbage. This emanated from industrial waste, wastes from homes, offices, and stores, e.t.c.
HAZARDOUS WASTE: This comprises of disposed substances that can threaten human health and the environment. It is considered hazardous if it wards away other materials. Contributed to the spreading are industrial, hospitals and laboratories.
NOISE POLLUTION: Comes from human beings, motor vehicles, airplanes, industrial equipment, and e.t.c.
SOURCES OF ENVIROMENTAL INFORMATION
In the quest of the environmental scientists to study the long-term consequence of human action on the environment and the environmentalists, advocating ways to minimize the negative impact of human activities on the natural world. Environmental Scientists need to be aware of many ways by which they can source for information in their researches. This is because, the result of conclusion arrived at, will be presented to the environmentalists and information managers for decision making.
Ideally, information sources can be classified into to two namely; formal and informal, internal and external. In most cases, the partition of the information sources of an environmental management scientist can be in another form:
• Personal Sources
• Non personal sources
It must be born in mind that these sources of information available to environmental management scientists could be viewed from another perspective, namely;
 Printed Sources
 Graphic Sources
 Oral Sources
 Electronic Sources (Popoola, 2008:Classroom lecture)


INTERNAL INFORMATION
This starts from individual, possibly from the scientists themselves. Internal information is primarily attached to accounting records. Also this can provide more than financial information. It gives information on:
• Records of people employed by a certain business or organization.
• Data from production department, and records of their sewage disposal
• Records of activities in direct contact with the people in a certain organization, i.e. how they communicate, and its effect on the environment.
• Level of personal hygiene in a particular house.
• Population record of individual houses, offices, stores, e.t.c.
• Information relating to human activities: This has to do with information on people’s movement, their job status, and location of their job, hobbies, social life and other things related to their activities.
• Information relating to quality of life of people: It entails information on their body systems, diet, life expectancy, health matters, distances between their homes to offices, leisure time, e.t.c. Most often time, information to be acquired by environmental management scientist could be from:
 Primary Sources (containing current data)
 Secondary Sources
 Tertiary Sources
Nonetheless, the following are the information sources available and utilized by environmental management workers:
• Journals Directories
• Newspapers Architectural Drawings
• Magazines Books of estimate
• CD-ROM Video Tapes
• Database Constitution
• Diaries Manuals
• Building Plan Computer Printouts
• Statistical Publication Almanacs
• Colleague Encyclopedia
• Map Year Book
• Indexes and Abstracts Photograph
• Policy Papers Visitation
• Archives Documentation Centers
• Radio Television
• Posters Bulletin
PROCESS OF ENVIROMENTAL INFORMATION
The main principles of information is to acquire, process, store, and disseminate it to the intend users. Hence, environmental management scientists are intermediary between information acquired and the environmental information managers, and even the users at times. Therefore, the point of generating information is strongly considered in the classification of information.
The principles of information are observed from the point of acquisition to the point of utilization. Therefore, when information is acquired, the following process must take place before it could be used.
• SORTING: When information is acquired by environmental management scientists, the first process is to sort out the best, to be designed for special task. This involves arrangement by kinds, classes, or in order, or grouping together of things with the same features.
• LABELING: This follows the grouping together of data with similar features, and it entails assigning a call name or mark to it, for the purpose of easy retrieval for further process or use.
• ANALYSING: Environmental management scientist must ensure that all data or information sought for is analyzed in details, so as to show up its elements and also to reveal its camouflage or disguise content.
• EDITING: This is done to shorten the content an information-edit down, or to delete some unwanted element-edit out in information. Also it focuses on avoidance of ambiguity and complexity. This revision act leads to the final form.
• ORGANIZING: It is getting together and orderly arrangement of edited information in order of priority clarity.
• TRANSFORMATION: This is the process of changing the form, state, condition and nature of a data or information from its former nature, and such is converted to another form for a new use or purpose.
• MANIPULATION: Acquired information that gets to this stage of processing is almost ready for dissemination. Just as this required skillful handling, treatment and management of acquired information by the environmental management scientists.
• DOCUMENTATION: Before any information is made available to users, it must be documented. Consequently, environmental management scientists must ensure, for reference purpose, to document all the acquired information in the cause of their researches and findings.
For environmental information acquisition to be effective and capable of managing and solving environmental problems, it must possess the following:
• Project based
• Involvement of the whole inhabitant
• Result oriented personnel
• Integration of findings into knowledge bank
• Reinforcement and modifying known facts
• Respect for the needs and comfort of decision makers
ENVIROMENTAL POLLUTION MANAGEMENT
Environmental pollution refers to all the ways by which human activities harms natural environment. Management of environmental pollution aims at all effort put forth in completely curbing or reduces pollution in Man’s environment. Commenting o difficult management of environmental pollution, Marian R. Cherton, an industrial environmental manager recorded “Nearly everyone would like to have pollution reduced. Unfortunately, most of pollution that threatens the health of our planet comes from products that many want and need, e.g. automobile, factories, industrial processes e.t.c.”
Most Scientists agree that, if pollution and other environmental impediments continue at their present rates, the result will be irreversible damage to the ecological cycles and balances upon which all life depends.
In attempting effective management and control of environmental pollution, the major factor that facilitate environmental pollution must be highlighted, they are majorly include but not limited to: Industrial wastes, indoor air pollution, oil spills, sewage, solid waste, pesticides, smog, fuel exhaust, e.t.c.
Environmental Management Scientists must see environmental management from the point of research to the enforcement level. This is done mostly in developed countries using Earth Observing System (EOS) - an artificial satellite, which collects information about the interactions occurring in the atmosphere, on land, in the oceans, and these data help scientists and law makers in making sound environmental policy and decisions.
Moreover, factors threatening the environment include global warming, depletion of ozone layer in the atmosphere; destruction of the world’s rain forests which scientists believe will reach critical promotion in the coming decades, inclusive of environmental racism.
Nevertheless, in collaboration with research trends and results of and from environmental management scientists that centered at environmental improvement and effective management may be configured as follows:
• INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION AND ORIENTATION: Scientists warns that fundamental and perhaps drastic changes in human behavior will be required to avert an ecological crisis-Zimmerna Michael, 2006. Also people must devise new strategies that network environmental progress with economic growth. To this end, scientists submitted that, the future growth of developing nations would depend upon the development of sustainable conservation methods that protects the environment, while at the same time meeting the basic needs of citizens.
• GOVERNMENT ACTION: World Book Encyclopedia, vol.6, states that “In many countries around the world, government work to help clean up pollution, such effort come from local, state, and national governments. Also, passing of laws will help to limit and prevent environmental pollution.
• SCIENTIFIC EFFORT: Increase passion for environmental protection has caused scientists and engineers to look for ways by which environmental pollution could be managed, with high focus on preventive measures against environmental pollution.
• OTHER WAYS: These among others includes: Recycling, formation of environmental organization, environmental impact statement (EIS), environmental psychology, observation of environmental do’s and don’ts, formulation of environmental policies, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review of formulated policies.
INFORAMTION USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENTISTS
As defined by Losec (1997), “Information is seen as one or more statement or facts that are received by a human being, and have some form of worth to the recipient.” Also it is argued that all acquired information must be to a certain problem that is intended for, so as to determine its effectiveness. Consequently, Popoola (2006) believed, information utilization could be referred to as the actual putting into correct use of acquired information, probably by environmental management scientists.
Information utilization is enhanced by information-seeking behavior of environmental management scientists, which could be within or outside the environment. The utilization of acquired information may be direct or indirect, with such, most often time takes place in form of communication. Hence information utilization is communicable in nature. Environmental management scientists uses information in diverse ways in finding a lasting solution to environmental problems, this is seen as highlighted by Popoola, .O.S (2006):
 Identifying environmental problems
 Advancing or changing knowledge and attitudes of people as regards environmental hazards and risk taking.
 Modifying risk-related behavior of people exposed to hazards.
 Promoting community participation in hazard mitigation
 Facilitating cooperation and joint conflict resolution as regards controversial environmental problems posing threats to people’s health and asset.
 Reducing public funds in managing environment
In another development, information utilization by environmental scientists can be view form general and specific perception. The general use of information by environmental management scientist includes the following:
• It aid research and problem identification
• It enhance the speed of the research
• It helps in choosing research methods and information sources
• Environmental Scientists use it in decision making
• Information is used to monitor environmental policies and program.
Specific use of information by environmental management scientist includes:
 Pre-research use of information
 On-research use of information
 Post-research use of information
Nonetheless, environmental management scientists use information to perform the following tasks among others:
• To know which of the environmental development aspect needs scientists’ attention.
• To determine how to go about solving any emerging environmental problems.
• They use it to know the pace of environmental efforts.
• It is used to monitor the research findings
• It is used in disseminating information to the target group or audience.
As previously said, information utilization, often times take place in form of communication, mostly at the time of dissemination. This is made possible via information superhighways and other communication means which include: print media, electronic media, public information services, expert presentations, e.t.c. and the medium could be through information campaign, conferences, seminars, public hearing, and e.t.c.
The information to be used must be made available to the target audience, which can include but not limited to:
 Industry, companies, factories, corporate organizations, e.t.c.
 Scientific institution
 The law enforcement agents
 Administrative/regulatory authorities
 The general public
Such information could be oral or written; moreover the information use of environmental management scientists should centre on awareness of environmental information for better management of environment.
OTHER AREAS TO FOCUS BY ENVIROMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENTISTS
The current trend obtained from the researches in environmental science field focus on the relation of low-dose exposures to human health, the influence of environmental toxins on both male and female reproductive functions, and its potential health implications. On this note, there are many other areas in environmental management, where environmental scientists can also focus, for the acquisition and use of information for the standard management of the environment. Below are the suggested areas:
• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT: This has mostly been applied to individual projects, and has thus led to various offshoot techniques such as health impact assessments, strategic environmental assessment, and e.t.c. Its sequence steps include; screening to decide if a project requires assessment, preliminary assessment, to identify key impacts, scoping to ensure EIS focuses on key issues, and implementation of the main EIS study.
• ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: It is the scientific study that focuses on the relationship between man and his physical surroundings. Psychologists should study how street noise, heat, architectural designs, population density and crowing affects people’s behavioral and mental health. This study, if strategically carried out with environmental scientists, will help in reducing and even eradication of pollution in the environment.
• ENVIROMENTAL RACISM: This is another area that needs the attention of environmental management scientists. Studies have shown that, not all individuals are equally exposed to pollution. E.g. world wide toxin-waste sites are more prevalent in poorer communities, and such affects the standard of living and life expectancy of people living in such vicinity. Besides, in some countries, the ethnic composition of a neighborhood is most important factor in predicting the location of hazardous-waste. Hence, the need to balance the disposition of waste, not at the expense of others is a major issue in environmental management, which needs scientists’ intervention.
PERSONAL REQUIREMENT AND QUALITIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS
As an individual vested with the responsibilities to manage and solve environmental problems, must possess the following qualities:
 Knowledge of the environment, including exceptional knowledge of science that has to do with water, land, or air quality.
 An understanding of resource management act.
 Knowledge of consequences that commercial activities and development may have on the environment.
 Planning, organizational and research skills.
 Sound skills in analyzing and interpreting research results and other information.
 Practical skills for performing experiment and scientific equipments.
 The ability to think in a comprehensive ways, so as to see the relationship between two different things.
 Problem-solving, communication, writing, and negotiation skills.
 Mathematics and computer skills.
 Must be physically fit and healthy to make field trips and visit sites.

Adding to the above points, environmental management scientists with good personal qualities needs to be:
• Accurate
• Practical
• Able to make good judgments
• Disciplined
• Able to work under well under pressure
• Creative, so that they can develop new ideas
INFORAMTION SERVICES REQUIRED OF ENVIROMENTAL MANAEMENT SCIENTIST
Information services are intangible goods provide mostly by information products, with both contributes to promote trade in information services. Popoola (2006) states that “provision of information products and services for the use of inhabitant and environmental management scientists assists them to improve their work performance”.
Therefore, in a bid to take precautionary and curative measures against environmental management problems, the following services are nothing but indispensable among others:
 Information management consulting
 Records and archives management
 Information broking
 Document delivery
 Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI)
 Current awareness
 Translation
 Indexing and abstracting
 Telephoning
 Online database searching


ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (EMIS)
Environmental information was recorded manually in the past. The development in information and communication sector is used for environmental monitoring and planning. Thus, the movement from manual-based system to computer-based information management called environmental management information system.
Environmental management is seen as the efficient and effective allocation of resources to impose some order on Man’s use of space and land resources for better living. Stroter and Burch (1974) thought “information system is a systematic, formal assemblage, of components that performs data processing operations to meet legal and transactional data processing requirements.
Hence, an environmental management information system is seen as the combination of human and computer based resources that result in the collection, processing, storage, retrieval, and use of information, based on data form internal and external sources. This is done so as to enable the executive personnel in environmental management agencies take rational decisions to solve environmental problems.
In EMIS, the key resources are: information, information technology, and people. Pragmatically speaking, “people and information” are the most important resources within EMIS, nevertheless the three are desirable. T he reason is that, the people referred to here are both the scientists and the target audience. Management Information System (MIS) helps in environmental management in great measures. Though encompasses with challenges and problems, yet, it aid good and accurate environmental management. Also it helps environmental management scientists in their information acquisition and use for proper management and control of the environment.
REFERENCES
1. Adebayo, J.O (2008) Information source relevance and use in business organization. LARIS Department University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
2. Bruckman, Amy S. (2007) Microsoft Student DVD.
3. Popoola, S.O (2006) Information sources and systems in environmental management. Distance Learning Centre, University of Ibadan.
4. The world book encyclopedia (2006), World book vol. 6, Chicago. World book Inc.
5. World book (2005) Student Discovery Encyclopedia, vol. 4. Chicago, Scott Fetzer Company.
6. www.answers.com
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