UN Environment Programme's "International Referral System"

A view of the demonstration of the U.N. Environment Programme's "International Referral System" (IRS) for sources of environmental information given to the Governing Council of the Environment Programme at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.
IRS is designed to provide information on the environment through a collection system that processes inputs received from sources in various countries. It is a computerized system that would refer any question, relevant to the environment, to the most appropriate source to provide an answer. One of the features of the system is that in situations where the use of computers is not practical, the system would provide microfiche – containing the same information available in the central system. The microfiche can then be read on a simple reading machine. IRS is one of the activities undertaken by UNEP in accordance with a recommendation of the Stockholm Conference.