INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR PROMOTING
AQUACULTURE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Figure 1. SIPAM - System Overview,

Figure 2. SIPAM - Decision-Making Process

3. The Conceptual Design

The Conceptual Design phase must identify the objectives and requirements of the SIPAM Information System.

This is a delicate phase because it immediately precedes the very important one of system analysis where the objectives and justification have to have been already defined. The system analysis will, in practice, define the feasibility and at what cost (in terms of resources, risks, etc.) the Project can be implemented.

Once the objectives and goals have been defined, the SIPAM Information System can be seen as being made up of following components.

1. A predefined architecture
2. A set (assembly) of human resources
3. A set of automatic and manual instruments for the collection, aggregation, retrieval and processing of data
4. A set of procedures and techniques to meet the objective
5. A predefined data-information model.

3.1. A predefined architecture

As described in the following section, the System will be constructed using a totally open architecture, i.e. a modular architecture. SIPAM will be composed of “blocks”, each defined by its area of application. The blocks will not be bound to interact to specific external specification (hard/software); instead, it will be possible to tailor each block to different external formats as necessary according to the interfacing systems (hardware/software platforms) all converted to the same format.

This approach has the advantage of enabling the System to be developed stepwise with the possibility of adding to and expanding the elementary modules. It also enables more than one building team to work on different parts of the System independently and simultaneously. In fact, in the development of the overall System, different tasks will be assigned to different units.

The SIPAM Structural Hierarchy will be as follows:

SIPAM Information System : A Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS) to manage a collection of four Basic Sub-Systems as well as two Accessory Modules, one for Data processing operations and one reserved for System maintenance and utilities. The data processing will contain the most widely used basic software on the market for word processing, spreadsheets, DBMS, graphics, statistics, etc., as well as software for piloting functions and standard routines (automatized analysis of particular events, automatic production of bulletins, press releases, profiles, etc.). The system management and utilities accessory module will contain all the procedures necessary to management the data system both locally and remotely.

The Fie Sub-Systems are the following:

REGIONAL SUB-SYSTEM
NATIONAL SUB-SYSTEM
FAO-HQ SUB-SYSTEM
EXTENDED SUB-SYSTEM
ANALYTICAL/MODELLING SUB-SYSTEM
SYSTEM MANAGEMENT MODULE

Each Sub-System is a collection of many modules each representing one stand-alone application of various types:

Numerical Application
Bibliographic Application
Descriptive Retrieval
Graphical Application
Data Communication
Data Base Management Application
Analytical and Modelling Software
Access to Commercial Analytical/Graphical Tools
Access to Specialized Analytical/Graphical Tools
etc.

Each module will contain at least the following three standardized fundcitons:

Interphase to Source of Data (Manual or Automatic)
Perform pre-defined Retrieval/Processing Functions
Output To Pre-defined Formats (Screen/Paper/Export)

The Data Flow will be the following:

Import/Export Data will also follow a pre-established time pattern. Data should be captured, complied, normalized and distributed for the three different time schedules:

and constitute three different up-loading/down-loading procedures. Data up-loading and down-loading must be made according to type, frequency and use of the information, regardless of whether it is aquaculture data, fishery data or complementary data.

3.2. Human Resources

Three major components will be involved in the design and implementation of any Information System.

In the SIPAM concept, the above will be organized as follows:

(a) The Design Unit

Each of the applications to be developed (elements) will be considered as stand-alone applications with certain INPUT/OUTPUT or LINKAGE constraints to be fitted into each of the modules.

The design unit is composed of the following:

1. The SIPAM System Manager
2. National MEDRAP Coordinators from member countries
3. National MEDRAP Coordinators from associated countries
4. Selected representatives from the Public Sector
5. Selected representatives of Producers
6. Selected representatives of Suppliers
7. Any other qualified end-users.

The Tasks of the Design Unit

This group of experts, coordinated by the SIPAM System Manager, will decide which applications should be developed and the priorities, as and when required.

This task must be considered of vital importance for the life of SIPAM.

Decision about the form in which the data are to be produced and submitted, their frequency of production, and how they are to be processed and analysed need to be discussed and agreed at interest group level. One of the vehicles that should be used and supported to organize the application proposals is the participation at selected workshops which the Regional Project organizes on various subjects. The basic aim of such an exercise is to ensure that workshop participants (interest group) are requested to contribute, that the appropriate list of variables needed is identified, regularly collect through an agreed methodology, and delivered to SIPAM at regular intervals, and finally that this procedure is maintained.

It should be stressed, however, that the underlying concept of a regional data bank is that all data and information produced should be of proven usefulness both to national and regional users involved in research/management/planning.

Once an application is identified the design unit will prepare in detail the application specifications which should contain inter alia:

The SIPAM System Designer should assist this unit at the beginning in order to establish a consistent working method. It is not important that a data processing expert assist the unit at the outset of the work.
To be successful, the design unit should foresee the optimum that can be obtained from a certain type of data/information, and design the INPUT/OUTPUT requirements as if they were to be carried out manually. It is also recommended to always bear in mind the scope, type and nature of the data to be entered into the system.

(b) The Developing Unit

Once the application has been conceived, the Analyst and/or Programmer will translate the requests into a software tool. At this moment modifications or suggestions may be incorporated into the original design.

For the successful implementation of this work it is imperative that the Project provides the services of a full-time Data Manager. This person, who must have informatics and possibly aquaculture qualifications, will ensure the correct and timely execution of all the phase of the programme for the development and implementation of this System. The terms of reference of this officer are given in Appendix 3

In addition to the Data Manager, the Project has to foresee the following personnel inputs:

• Top-level analyst/computer programmer consultant for the development of the Regional Module (based in Rome, FAO HQ or MEDRAP HQ).

• Contract for a computer programmer to assist in assembling the FAO module into SIPAM (based in Rome FAO HQ).

• Programmer to ensure the system development and maintenance, undertake data downloading/uploading, train regional and national experts in the use of SIPAM, participate in the development, improvement and maintenance of the national based system (based in MEDRAP HQ).

• consultants to prepare reports and technical material. Each country participating in this activity should involve national aquaculture planning and computer programming experts in this exercise in this exercise as required.

(c) The End-Users

The end-users can be classified by group according to the position they occupy and the field of their interest. The major end-user group is the staff of the fisheries and aquaculture services in the various national offices in the Region who will be using SIPAM mainly for reporting and planning purposes, but also to answer queries from their private sector. This group is also the most important for data supply. Among a second group of end-users are aquaculturists, economists, fishery specialists, investors and traders in the industry, trade, and educational institutions, in both the public and private sectors. The SIPAM National Coordinator should organize his/her own national end-user group.

3.3 Automatic and Manual Instruments

This System will be designed as an integrated information system, i.e. a homogeneous system in which the end-user is not aware that it is built of different basic elements. It is important to note that in designing this System the end-user and his needs, and not the wish to produce one more instrument of data dissemination without a pre-established target, are the main consideration.

For reasons of compatibility with FAO standards, and for other technical and operative reasons, the networking hardware is configured around a platform based on the INTEL 80386 micro-processor family. The elements that need to be integrated to constitute the network through non-rigid connections are of a different nature and effort.

• At the system architecture level national, international and FAO environments used have to be made colloquiable.

• At the structure level different connecting protocols (interphases) to manage products coming from different environments need to be developed both for the input/output procedure and for the format and structure of the data.

• At the function/service level data format interchange with applicative software (standard commercial software) and connection to different peripherals such as printers, scanners, modems, as well as electronic mail, must be foreseen.

At this level the different national working languages to be used in the system must also be taken into account. Therefore, the system will be provided with a multi-language data dictionary to allow quick and standardized user interfacing.

The System will be developed, both at the Centre and at the periphery, on identical hardware in order to optimize the products and ensure the network performance. The configurations described in Appendix 1 do not necessarily need to be completed at the beginning of the project since they have been designed to be expanded as necessary although they all have to be completed and fully operative by the third phase of the working plan (see Work Plan and Schedule of Work).

The System architecture will be designed on a “STAR” patten with non-rigid connection in which the centre of the STAR represents the manager/server and the points represent the users. The system will have two operational levels, one at the Centre and one at the periphery. For an easier understanding of the above pattern a chart follows (Fig .3). In this particular case the System is developed around a network in which the centre of the STAR is represented by the MEDRAP project headquarters where the System Manager/Server pilots all the applications at regional level. At the edges of this STAR are the countries and other end-users in the region. The network is complete with two more connections, one representing the link to the FAO Fisheries Department SIPAM back-stopping team as Data/Information Supplier/Receiver, and a second one to an ideal node to connect remote databases and networks.

The typical hardware configurations of the work-stations forming the Project network are given in Appendix 1. It should be finalized later and in any case be constantly revised according to industry standards.

INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR PROMOTING
AQUACULTURE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Figure 3. SIPAM - Regional Desk Information Network

3.4 A Set of Procedures

The development of the software is strongly influenced by the structural design of this-network (STAR) which has been conceived to allow the integrated system to be developed in a modular way independently from the two levels of implementation. To make full use of the above structure a slightly unconventional approach has been chosen in the development of the System. The first level network which covers the Project headquarters, FAO-HQ and the remote centres applies a so-called “TOP-DOWN” strategy. This strategy is typical of a vertical initiative in which, without taking too much account of the final characteristics of the user, the application is developed and imposed. For the application of this strategy the initial components (FAO databases with their ‘known’ specifications and environments) of the System are known beforehand. The FAO information module will be developed and implemented using this strategy and will be distributed by the Project headquarters to the end-user centres.

The national centres will manage the flow of the data between the various national sources of data and themselves and will be responsible for the interfacing procedures (installation, training, setting-up, etc.) to the Regional Module. This module, to be developed in the SIPAM Headquarters (Regional Information Module), will have the dual task of interacting with the Project headquarters and with the country. Since this module is strongly dependent on the various national contexts, a “BOTTOM-UP” strategy is applied. For this, a methodology which permits the identification of many simple problems and their solution independently is applied. This module will therefore be developed by consolidating and expending the System, both in dimension and application, as new blocks are added from the bottom upwards. This is a strategy where the analyst does not need to know initially all the situations he will be faced with (different national contexts).

Regional standardisation:b in order to facilitate exchange of data within and between countries, the Regional Sub-System, in addition to the automatic data transfer from national databanks to SIPAM, will provide the data entry and management procedures for each of the application data bases.

These data bases will be structured according to a standardised regional format. For each base, the characteristics, definitions, units, directories, etc., will be documented.

One of the most interesting features of this programme of work at the cooperation level is the direct involvement of national personnel and the end-users in the development and system enhancement of the Interfacing Modules. This approach (using national staff) is considered a basic condition for the success of the programme of work during and after Project implementation.

The software to be developed is limited to that for the management of the FAO and Regional Information Modules and the input/output protocols for uploading/downloading FAO and regional databases, maintenance systems and the interphases with the various and different national systems. Towards the end of the project procedures for tele-maintenance and tele updating via modem through a “carbon copy” approach, both form the Rome FAO-HQ and from the Project headquarters in Tunis, should be in place. This approach will allow the System Manager to temporarily control the remote work station through a modem and special software.

The processing function of the System, as well as the word processing, statistical analysis, graphics, project management, etc., will be carried out in one area of the System (Data Processing Module) which will make use of commercial software possibly standard within the FAO family. This module may also contain programs and procedures developed by the Project to allow standardized and repetitive data rocessing, report generation, etc. The commercial software may be integrated with built-in macro-instructions to performs certain operations.

All software acquired to be incorporated into SIPAM (whether purchased, internally developed or given to SIPAM) will be developed according to specifications that will be established in the System Design, and it will be FAO/MEDRAP SIPAM property.

For the initial SIPAM software development in DOS, the xBase format is the standard for the Relational Data Base Management System, not only because it is an internationally accepted de facto standard, but also because many FAO applications, as well as national applications, have already been developed using dBase. Fox the supporting software the use of the following, classified as FAO (DOS) standard, is foresecn:

The above packages are acceptable at the time of writing and, in any case, are only indicative and may be changed and/or added to at any moment.

The functional process of the System (Fig. 4) will follow the same pattern as the decision-making process shown in Figure

INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR PROMOTING
AQUACULTURE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Figure 4. SIPAM - Operational Processing Chart

3.5 Pre-established Data Information Model

The data information flow will be developed within a strategy defined by a working group composed of national, regional and project experts, which will indicate the information needed. The major concern here is the possible inadequacy of some national infrastructures to support the proposed strategy and the obligation to provide additional resources for this work. The data/information flow will grow in a selective manner without duplicating existing work already carried out by other organizations/institutions. The members of the working group will be in contact with each other to identify and disseminate information of interest from various national, regional and international sources. At this point the Project must make a big effort, both in the research of data/information and in reaching agreement with the various institutions, to obtain authorization to receive and utilize the data/information needed.

In fact, as far as the relationship with FAO is concerned, this subject is regulated by Director-General Bulletin No. 90/22, and is the object of discussion by a working group set up by the Director-General to give guidelines on this matter. The Project MEDRAP will be responsible for obtaining the data/information alimenting the FAO Information Module (FAO sources).

Regarding the national data/information to be integrated in the Sub-Regional and Regional Systems (Regional Information Modules), the National Coordinators will be responsible for obtaining such authorization. However, the Project should prepare a standard draft letter of agreement between the Project and the national institution concerned or other supplier of data to be used as a basis.

It is essential for the present and future life of this System that all data entering the SIPAM network be appropriately authorized.

The data/information model used in this System will be of a complex type (Fig.5) i.e., data and information are linked at three levels. At the basic level the data collected through a system is processed and published according to given methodology, standards and frequency (output).

At the second level, some of the information produced at the basic level become data (input to be processed and analyzed together with data and information coming from other sources within the same field.

At the third level (complex model), some of the information produced at the basic and second levels becomes data (input) to be processed and analyzed together with data and information coming from sources of a different nature.

Figure 5 shows a complex data information model which assemble all three levels.