The Online Reporting System (ORS) is a sophisticated web application which streamlines the environmental reporting process.
The tool is designed to build capacity and assist countries in meeting their reporting obligations to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).
Improved reporting means information is more accurate and up-to-date, enabling decision makers to identify trends more quickly and make better informed choices that account for biodiversity.
By collating reports online, MEAs have instant access to data once questionnaires are submitted, speeding up the time between collecting data and making informed decisions on biodiversity.
The user-centred design of the ORS provides a more dynamic workflow for both creating custom MEA reports, and for responding to questionnaires via the ORS. These improvements result in greater efficiencies in the reporting process and an improved experience for users of the ORS.
.jpg)
.jpg)
The ORS makes creating and answering MEA questionnaires quicker and easier than it’s ever been. The ORS features, such as looping sources where the same questions can be repeated on a number of subjects, and the ability to duplicate existing questionnaires, reduce the burden for administration, allowing new questionnaires to be created quickly and easily. Faster speeds ensure reporting is more efficient and less of a burden to reporting Parties.
The new ORS API (application program interface) makes it possible to expose data collected from questionnaires, and display this information on your own website.
A demonstration of the API’s potential can be seen on this showcase site using live data from AEWA’s national reporting process. The demo shows how data collected in the ORS can be used in real-time visualisations that make the information more accessible and easier to understand.
ORS users now benefit from the increased support of an extensive knowledge base and dedicated forum. Whether you are an administrating or responding to a questionnaire, there are helpful guides that walk you through each process. There is also a powerful search for quickly finding answers to you support needs.
The ORS user forum is designed to be a hub for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and support, and a place for MEAs secretariats and responding parties to come together to discuss ideas around national reporting.
The ORS was originally developed by UNEP-WCMC in close collaboration with the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
In 2015, the ORS was developed further, working with UNEP’s Division of Environmental Law and Conventions and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) as part of EU funded ACP MEA Phase II project.
The Online Reporting System (ORS) is already being used by a number of MEAs to help streamline reporting and help increase response rates.
To find out more about ORS and how it might be suitable for you, please contact us on ORSteam@unep-wcmc.org.
