PROGRESS REPORT OF THE INTERSESSIONAL WORK ON TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SYSTEM

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PROGRESS REPORT OF THE INTERSESSIONAL WORK ON
TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SYSTEM

• I.F. Vladu
• Sustainable Development Programme
• Technology Sub-programme
• UNFCCC

Bonn, Germany
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RECENT MANDATE - SBSTA 15th

• The secretariat was requested to
• Continue its work on the technology information
  system, drawing on links between its work and the
  work of existing institutions and networks, in
  particular, information relating to adaptation
  technologies.
• Explore the feasibility of including information
  on
• Examples of success stories and case studies on
  technology transfer.
• Joint research and development programs.
• Private and publicly-owned technologies.
• Summarize the submissions from Parties, including
  feedback on their experience in using TTCLEAR.

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CLEARING HOUSE - OBJECTIVE

• The main objective of the proposed project,
  tentatively called TTCLEAR, is to improve the
  flow of, access to and quality of the information
  relating to the development and transfer of
  environmentally sound technologies under the
  Article 4.5 of the Convention and contribute to a
  more efficient use of the available resources by
  providing a synergy with other ongoing efforts.

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DESIGN CRITERIA

• Build on, and connect to existing information,
  databases and tools
• UNFCCC search engine
• UNFCCC database of links to existing Internet
  sites
• Modular structure
• The modular structure proposed would allow many
  governments and organizations to contribute.
• Would also allow for a better use of the existing
  resources.
• Incremental implementation
• A review of the project after each phase and
  extensive consultations with the Parties.
• Would permit a better management of the new
  resources.
• Flexible decentralized system
• Part of a network.
• Efficient data gathering using modern techniques
• Only information not available in external
  databases.
• Through Internet.

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TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE - MAIN
COMPONENTS
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IMPEMENTATION

• Prepared a technical paper on Technology
  transfer clearing house and international
  information network Proposal for activities.
  The paper includes a plan for implementing the
  system and provides some technical details.
• Developed a prototype system which is
  up-and-running for testing by Parties since
  September 2001 (some 185 registered users).
• Feedback from Parties (FCCC/SBSTS/2002/ Misc.12)
  and other users.

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ORGANIZED TWO CONSULTANCIES

• Objectives
• Provide support to enhance and update the
  inventory of technology cooperation projects.
• Review and update the database of mitigation
  technologies and to provide support to establish
  a database of adaptation technologies.
• Identify information gaps and potential sources
  of information and/or co-operative mechanisms for
  completing the databases.
• Assist in preparation of expert meetings on
  technology information.

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INVENTORY OF TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION PROJECTS

• Updated using the prototype version of the UNFCCC
  technology information system.
• The cooperation projects were reviewed, updated
  and completed.
• At present some 1,650 projects stored in the
  database. More than 450 projects added since
  COP7.
• Review and update relevant AIJ projects stored in
  TTCLEAR.
• Added projects included in national
  communications.

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NATIONAL COMUNICATIONS OF ANNEX I PARTIES

• Relevant information from the National
  Communications of Annex I parties was collected
  and entered into the databases
• Projects cited in 3rd National Communications of
  Annex I Parties.
• A quick link was added on first page to access
  this information.
• Parties shall, where feasible, report activities
  related to technology transfer, including success
  and failure stories... Parties shall also report
  their activities for financing access by
  developing countries to "hard" or "soft"
  environmentally-sound technologies (UNFCCC
  guidelines on reporting and review -
  FCCC/CP5/1999/7)
• TTCLEAR was modified to accommodate the
  recommended reporting format.

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NATIONAL COMUNICATIONS OF NON ANNEX I PARTIES

• Compiled information, including on technology
  needs and capacity building as reported by
  non-Annex I Parties in their national
  communications and/or other national reports
• Some 100 projects cited in Initial National
  Communications of non Annex I Parties were added.
• Selected issues
• Some of the Initial National Communications of
  non Annex I Parties are not available in English
  or are available only in hard copy.
• Lack of details in some of the project proposals
  (e.g., duration of the project, total cost,
  expected founding, contact persons and/or
  organizations).

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INVENTORY OF TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION PROJECTS

• Updated the projects related to China (104)
• Data on contacts, organizations, and links to
  additional project information related to China.
• Revised the structure of projects database to
  follow IDML and the CEFDA standard proposals
• Sectors
• Types of Assistance (adopt CEFDA standard)
  Grant, Load, Credit, Equity investment, Donation,
  Other, Multiple
• Updated relevant web pages.

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CASE STUDIES AND SUCCESS STORIES

• A number of success stories and/or case studies
  on technology transfer were added
• 38 case studies were added from Methodological an
  Technological issues in Technology Transfer -
  IPCC SR and Technologies without Borders - Case
  Studies of Successful Technology Transfer,
  IEA-CTI, 2001.
• All case studies were made available through the
  search engine.

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LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES

• Updated and completed with new data (some 600
  links included)
• Added national links provided by Parties in their
  submissions (Misc.12).
• Appended 100 relevant links data submitted by
  Germany from the GATE project.
• Quick links to national sites.
• The links are classified in different categories
  and can be searched using the search engine.
• Revised the structure of links database (one link
  can have several categories).
• Enhanced the search mechanism and updated the
  relevant web pages.

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CONTACTS AND ORGANIZATIONS

• Updated and completed, new contacts were added.
  Some 550 contacts are available in the database.
  
• Contact details updated to include its projects,
  models, case studies, etc.
• Revised the structure of the organizations
  database (consistency).
• Enhanced data entering and management
  capabilities using the Internet pages.

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INFORMATION SOURCES

• The information sources database was updated and
  completed.
• New information sources were added (e.g. National
  Communications).
• At present the database includes 66 sources of
  information.
• Short description and URLs of the information
  sources are provided.

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MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION METHODS/MODELS/TOOLS

• Developed an electronic form to collect
  information on existing methods/models/tools
  (mitigation and adaptation).
• The form was integrated in TTCLEAR and
  facilitates on-line updating and reporting.
• A database of mitigation and adaptation
  methods/models/tools was developed.

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MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION METHODS/MODELS/TOOLS

• Short write-ups were prepared for 14 mitigation
  methods/models/tools (RETSCREEN was added as
  suggested by Parties).
• A number of 32 methods/models/tools presently
  available on the UNFCCC web site were added to
  adaptation database.
• The models can be searched by type (mitigation,
  adaptation) and sector (e.g, energy, transport,
  forestry, agriculture, industry, etc.).

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DATABASE OF MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGIES

• Further developed the classification of
  adaptation technologies and designed the
  adaptation technology database.
• Modified relevant web pages.
• Populated the database with some mitigation
  technologies and coastal adaptation technologies
  from technical paper - Coastal Adaptation
  Technologies.

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TECHNOLOGY CLASSIFICATION

• A complete set of criteria was created to allow
  an efficient searching and reporting
• Mitigation/Adaptation/Combined

• Mitigation technologies
• Energy generation and supply
• Renewable
• Fossil fuels
• Nuclear
• Energy transmission and distribution
• Engines and transmissions
• Energy distribution
• Energy end-use
• Transportation sector
• Industrial technologies
• Energy management
• Building technologies
• Manufacturing technologies
• Transport
• Forestry
• Agriculture
• Waste management
• Industry

• Adaptation Technologies
• Capacity building
• Coastal zone management
• Agriculture
• Human health
• Forestry
• Natural resources management
• River base management
• Other vulnerability assessments
• Combined

• Hard/Soft
• Publicly owned/Privately owned

All the technologies and their levels are
available on web site
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NEW SEARCH ENGINE TO ACESS TECHNOLOGY DATA

• Access to reliable and up-to-date information.
• Transparent conversions between different
  classifications.
• Enhance information according to our needs.
• Synergies with the on-going efforts.

General Users
TTINFO
Parties
Secretariat
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NEW SEARCH ENGINE TO ACESS TECHNOLOGY DATA

• Modified search engine interfaces to access
  information from the redesigned CADDET and
  GREENTIE web sites
• Projects CADDET EE RE (by sectors)
• Techno CADDET EE RE (by sectors and
  technologies)
• Organization GREENTIE (by sectors and
  technologies)
• Modified the structure of local database for
  CADDET and GREENTIE
• Updated relevant web pages

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TRANSFER SOFTWARE TO NATIONAL/REGINAL CENTER

• Tested feasibility of localization (e.g. Chinese
  version). Software transfer and platform
  installation and configuration.
• Analyzed options for establishing a technology
  transfer network (e.g. communication between the
  distributed centers in the network)
• Developed a program for distributed projects
  search based on a peer-to-peer approach
  (JXTA/JXTASearch)

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POSSIBLE SEARCH ARHITECTURE ON TTNETWORK

• Communication over the network is performed via
  an XML protocol called the Query Routing Protocol
  (QRP). The QRP defines mechanisms for sending and
  responding to queries in the JXTA Search
  network, as well as mechanisms for defining
  meta-data for nodes in the network.
• The network consists of the following
  participants
• Information Providers.
• Information Consumers.
• Information Hubs.

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POSSIBLE SEARCH ARHITECTURE ON TTNETWORK (cont.)

• Actors
• Search hubs IGOs, existing regional and national
  centers
• Consumers Parties, organization, private
  businesses
• Provides private businesses, knowledge
  institutions, regional and national centres.
• The benefits of a distributed approach
• Speed of update
• Access
• Efficiency.

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RESPONSE FORM PARTIES

• Received submissions from
• Canada
• China
• Spain, on behalf of the European Community and
  its member states and Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus,
  Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
  Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia
• United States of America
• Uzbekistan.
• A summary of issues follows.

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ENSURE THAT CLIENTS NEEDS ARE MET

• Make certain that information on technology
  transfer is user-friendly so that it is
  accessible to the widest-possible audience.
• Overviews and/or brief introduction should be
  provided on the main page of each module.
• The content table and the web site instruction
  should show in different versions in UN official
  languages with the development of the web site.
• Maintain focus.

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CLARIFY THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE
CLEARINGHOUSE

• Conduct a full and comprehensive needs assessment
  of different functions of the clearinghouse
  before details of different datasets are
  finalised or further elaborated. Such needs
  assessment should focus on both the end user and
  the applicable technologies and its presentation.
  In this context, particular attention should be
  paid to the specific constraints and needs
  expressed by DC. The output of these further
  needs assessment considerations should then
  determine aspects of the clearinghouse structure.
• Some functions were identified during the Beijing
  workshop.

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MAXIMIZE THE USE OF EXISTING INSTITUTIONS,
NETWORKS AND RESOURCES

• Linkage to and incorporation of, other technology
  transfer initiatives
• The information clearing house should rather
  function as a gateway to existing EST databases
  instead of serving as an information library.
• Maintain the clearinghouse as an agent or broker
  for information access be kept alive, rather than
  as an all-encompassing archive.
• Entrust another organization with the day-to-day
  management of TTCLEAR (centralized clearing
  house).

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ENHANCE THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT PROCESS

• Draw upon existing mechanisms such as information
  made available from national communications and
  other related national reports and channels (e.g.
  NAPAs that will be prepared by least developed
  countries).
• Incorporate a tendering system for posting
  competitions for projects.
• Establish and inventory of methodologies.

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RECOGNIZE THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR

• Made explicit that the commercialisation of
  technology is often the optimal method for
  technology transfer.
• Promote the use of the system by
  practitioners/program managers. Focus on ensuring
  these people are aware of this initiative, and
  other existing mechanisms for technology
  transfer.

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ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THESE SYSTEMS

• Formulate a detailed evaluation plan during the
  testing period, consisting of a concrete set of
  outcome measures.
• Develop clear understanding of the resource
  implications of TT CLEAR.
• Look at possibilities for cost recovery -gt
  Nominal user fees for private firms.

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ADOPT A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY/OUTREACH PROGRAM

• Identify national focal points and initiate
  actions to make the system known in their
  countries.
• Identify group of experts and promote the use of
  the system by these experts.
• Invite centers identified following the SBSTA
  request to review their information and provide
  feedback.

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FURTHER ENHANCE THE INFORMATION COVERAGE, DEPTH,
AND ACCURACY.

• Define criteria and methodology for selecting
  technologies and projects for the databases.
• Establish mechanism for data maintenance and
  update.
• Measures to improve the reliability of data and
  information sources should be taken into account.
• A close assessment should be made of the
  correlation and relationship maintained between
  information and data from, and available to,
  private sector projects and technologies and
  those led by national and international
  institutions in the clearinghouse.

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TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION

• Link with financial information, policies.
• Add an attribute on technology ownership.
• Technology comparison side-by-side other
  complementary tools should also be developed for
  technology comparison. In this way, the risks of
  systematic distortions and errors can be avoided
  more or less.
• Comparison of technology levels should be made
  possible not only between technologies in
  developed and developing countries, but also
  between advanced and laggard technologies among
  developed countries.

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USE PATENT INFORMATION

• There are some relevant organisations, which have
  made available free of charge via the internet a
  large amount of information on technologies by
  providing access to a large amount of patent
  documents (which have been scanned and are
  available in .pdf format). To set an example, 30
  million documents from more than 50 countries are
  available via internet (offered free charge by
  the European Patent Office).
• Use International Patent Classification system
  (IPC) for technology classification (exists in
  several languages).
• Would be easier to access information from patent
  databases.
• There are many professionals worldwide familiar
  with this system.
• Use patent information search engines

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INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

• In some countries, the Internet is faced with
  risks in sense of reliability, security, and
  limitation of access disseminate the
  information of technology transfer on CD-ROMs,
  diskettes, and/or by newsletter. (China, EU)

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CAPABILITIES OF THE SEARCH ENGINE

• Makes the documents searched from outside
  database linked to this information system
  accessible.
• Use patent information search engines.
• Broader links may be established between the
  searching engine and web sites of more parties,
  professional and business societies, NGOs, and
  excellent research institutions.
• In the searching process, the key words are given
  by the system, rather than entered by users,
  which is inconvenient for users in many cases.

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INCLUDE A NEWS MODULE

• News on policy changes, project progresses, and
  any activities related to technology transfer.
• Brief guidance of and introduction to the latest
  scientific findings and technological inventions.
• News to be provided by Parties.

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UPDATE/REVIEW THE TECHNICAL PAPER

• Some of the missing elements
• Criteria to select technologies
• Methodologies and information on effectiveness of
  technology transfer
• Elaboration on financial mechanisms
• Mechanisms to update the technical paper.

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ROLE OF PARTIES

• It would be helpful for parties to provide and
  update the data and information regularly.
  However, developing country parties may have a
  lack of resources to do so. In this case,
  financial and technical assistance should be made
  available to developing country parties to join
  the process of data update for the technology
  information system.
• It has been suggested to allow providers of
  technological information to remotely include the
  information in TTCLEAR that are important in
  their understanding. But this approach has the
  disadvantage of keeping track whether necessary
  updates are really done at regular intervals.
  Normally all organisations have their own project
  database. They will keep updates on their
  information system. It should be considered
  whether it might not be sufficient for a clearing
  house to guide the interested user to these
  individual databases instead of setting up and,
  even more difficult, maintaining a separate
  database different from the one provided already
  by various organisations or commercial companies.

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ROLE OF PARTIES

• Give assistance to update system information on
  the projects undertaken to accomplish the
  Convention and Protocol objectives.
• Identify group of experts and promote the use of
  the system by these experts.
• Collaborate to identify the relevant sources of
  information in their countries.
• Communicate to the system administrator relevant
  news that could be included in the system (tax
  incentives, legislative news, excerpts of journal
  or technical papers news considered relevant to
  other Parties, etc). Further discussion is still
  needed in terms of what could be the cost of
  providing this service.
• Provide information on decision tools to evaluate
  strategies on climate change.

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ESTABLISH NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND SUB-REGIONAL
CENTERS

• GEF/UNFCCC should provide support for centers
• These centers will have the role to integrate
  information, provide feedback, exchange of
  experience, capacity building and establishing
  priorities and SD (Uzbekistan)

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BETA TESTING

• The system was up-and-running since September
  2001.
• E-mails have been sent to Parties inviting them
  to register. The e-mails included the list of
  projects for the country (no feedback received on
  the list of projects).
• Comments and recommendations provided by e-mail,
  web-board, during presentations and direct
  discussions.
• 44 Parties registered to date (some 160 users).

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REISTERED USERS
parties 44 (51), user 95, staff 16
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FEEDBACK

• Many comments related to functionality/user
  interface Implemented in the version 0.2
• Average access 5 users/day, 2,000-3,000 pages,
  short visits
• Strong increase in use before sessions
  (meetings).
• The system is not well known to other groups
  (AI, NAI, LDC/Adaptation, capacity building).

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POSSIBLE USE IN UNFCCC

• National communications of Annex I Parties.
• Initial national communications of Non Annex I
  Parties.
• CDM small projects
• LDCs NAPAs.
• Capacity building.
• Article 6 (technical paper/structure of the
  clearinghouse).
• Cooperation with GEF
• Registration of NGOs
• Inventory of adaptation models
• Roster of experts and contacts

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BETA VERSION DEMONSTRATION

• Click the button below to start the demonstration
  (http/ttclear.unfccc.com/ttclear/Jsp)

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Thank you!