Information and data on the state of the environment and the socio-economic state of the Alpine Region inform all policies, regulations and financial features and related decision making for the Alpine Region and the promotion of a policy aimed at sustainable development  of the Region. Consistently,  the Third Conference of the Alps, held in Chambery (France) in 1994, established the observation centre of the Alpine Region (System for information on Alpine Research (SIRA) with a working group. The system  was developed and implemented according to a three tier system:

Step one (1994-1996) developed a decentralised System, based on a network of (national) Communication System, and a super-national Coordination Unit (Ispra Centre of the EU. SIRA developed  5 projects:

• List of the organisations carrying out research on the Alps;

• Generation of socio-economic indicators;

• Mapping socio-economic indicators;

• Data source Catalogue;

• IT or remote Communications.

Thanks to these projects a number of products documenting the Alpine Environmental System were developed, such as socio-economic indicators and their mapping, computerised catalogue of the research centre on the Alps.

During the second phase (1997-99) SIRA developed a three tier organisation: level one is strategic, managed by the Permanent Committee of the Alpine Convention, another managed by the SIRA WG and the third established by the National Communication Centres and the Coordination Units. During this phase the SIRA WG worked to improve the knowledge of the Alpine System to:  

• Assess pressures on the Alpine Region; 

• Gather knowledge on the Alpine population and economic trends

The project finished the 5^th Alpine Conference at Bled in Slovenia, in 1998 the SOIA WG presented a report on the mapping of population indicators and a list of the organisations carrying out research on the Alpine Region. Subsequently the lack of resources and some legal problems slowed down the use of the SIRA data base put together by National Scientific Institutes and Organisations which slowed down the SIRA work. Subsequently the Conference renewed the WG’s appointment until 2002.

Phase three  (2000-2002):  the operational structure of the Ispra Coordination Unit was closed as the European Commission cancelled the funds to for the Coordination Unit of the Ispra Common Coordination Unit.

The activity of the group focused on the projects approved during the 6th Alpine Conference held in Lucerne (Switzerland) in the year 2000.

The above highlights how funding remains the main obstacle in developing an information system, and that the commitment of the Contracting Parties alone is not enough. Alternative funding sources for European project are needed as well as the contributions of the Contracting Parties.  The EU  INTERREG III B - Alpine Space is therefore an important project which could be used to develop projects.