RECOSCIX-WIO: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

MIKA ODIDO AND EDWARD VANDEN BERGHE
RECOSCIX-WIO P.O. Box 95832,
Mombasa, Kenya

Regional Co-operation in Scientific Information Exchange - Western Indian Ocean (RECOSCIX-WIO) is an information project working towards establishing a lasting network of marine and aquatic institute in the westetrn Indian Ocean(WIO) region with the Regional Dispatch Centre (RDC) in Mombasa as its central node. Through its information services to the scientific community ,the project aims at promoting the scientific capabalities of this region. The project was starstede in Februrary 1989,after it was realised that the lack of library facilities and of up-to-date scientific information was a serious impediment to the ongoing research. Such then, the project has continued to offer library services to scientists in the region e westetrn Indian Ocean(WIO) region with the Regional Dispatch Centre (RDC) in Mombasa as its central node. Through its information services to the scientific community ,the project aims at promoting the scientific capabalities of this region. The project was starstede in Februrary 1989,after it was realised that the lack of library facilities and of up-to-date scientific information was a serious impediment to the ongoing research. Since then, the project has continued to offer library services to scientists in the region. Several activities were started in support to these services: a start was made to compile a collective catalogue of Marine Science libraries in the region(WIOLib),a directory of marine sciences was compiled and published(WIODir), a newsletter for and about marine sciences was strated(WINDOW). The Internet is more and more becoming the medium of choice to publish and distribute data and information. Unfortunately, Internet access if difficult, expensive and/or unreliable in several countries in the region. Just as in 1989, when the library services of RECOSCIX were started, it was felt that scientists in the region ran the danger of being deprived of essential information. In April 1996, a new phase of RECOSCIX-WIO was started, and with it a new set o activities : compling and collation of scientific base-line information. A new database, on biogeography of region, was setup. These data is distributed,together with the earlier data products of RECOSCIX-WIO, on a single CD-ROM, entitled WIOBase. The first version of WIOBase was distributed during the first quater of 1998, version 1.1 is planned to be ready by October 1998. Problems encountered in running of the project are discussed, hoping that the learning experiences of RECOSIX will benefit others with similiar objectives. One important issue is the sustainability of the project. ensuring a two-way flow of information between the RDC and the regional partners is seen as a major challenge.

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"to continously improve our understanding of the seas
around us and to translate this knowledge to benefit all"