The Mountain Information System, or SIM - Sistema Informativo della Montagna, developed by
the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in partnership with UNCEM (Unione Nazionale Comuni
Comunità Enti Montani), the National Union of Mountain Municipalities, Communities and Agencies,
with the technological support of Agrisian, provides to the public (in particular,
to the inhabitants of mountain areas), businesses, government agencies and local
authorities a series of services based on IT infrastructures and the integrated use
of the information stored in various databases, among which, in particular, those of
the agricultural and forestry sector (MiPAF and AGEA - Agenzia per le Erogazioni in Agricoltura,
the government Agency responsible for paying out subsidies to farmers), the Ministry of the
Economy and Finance and ISTAT, the National Statistical Office.
The Mountain Information System is based on two pillars, (i) data sharing (the
immediate availability of the data as soon as it is acquired, "where it's needed,
when it's needed", and which may be consulted also by non-SIM member users), and (ii)
an integrated front office (the services are provided by one stop shops, on account of
government agencies and departments that may or may not be SIM members, based on applications
cooperation for the management of administrative processes between diverse systems).
Another unique aspect of the SIM is the uniform nationwide database, offering the most
complete and accurate snapshot of the country, which users may consult from a single point of access,
comparing data according to specific requirements.
For example, local authorities may use the SIM to access the AGEA digital ortophotos, the land registry
maps of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the regional maps and data of the Istituto Geografico Militare
Italiano (the Italian ordnance survey), in order to develop appropriate land planning and management projects.
This is an enormously valuable cartographical database, not just for general knowledge
purposes, also of a historical nature, but primarily because the local authorities and
government agencies can make use of it to effectively carry out their land protection
and preservation duties, such as the prevention of and protection from natural disasters
and the management of emergency situations.
The SIM's land management services are fundamental for:
the Forest Police Corps, with regard to the, (a) 3rd survey of illegal landfills: a campaign carried out in
2001-2002, which led to the discovery - through the SIM - of over 6,000 landfills, covering a total surface
of 15 million square; and (b) the identification, in 2001 and 2002, of over 700 areas affected by forest fires,
for the purpose of immediately notifying the competent authorities so that they can issue
prohibitions to build there;
the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which has implemented the II National Forest Inventory, carried
out by the Forest Police Corps, in accordance with the procedures agreed to with the Ministry of the Environment,
as part of the broader project - implemented under the Kyoto Protocol - for surveying the distribution of carbon
sources and sinks.
The Ministerial Decree establishing the Inventory specifically mentions the use of the SIM as
the IT instrument for planning and carrying out the survey.
