National Environmental Information System (SINA)

The National Environmental Information System (SINA) was established in 1988 as an environmental information and monitoring system aimed at preparing the Report on the State of the Environment.

With Law 132/2016, SINA assumed a strategic role in the collection, processing, and dissemination of territorial and environmental information.

ISPRA and the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA), through SINA, make data and information accessible also by relying on territorial hubs, namely the regional environmental information systems (SIRA) managed by the regional environmental agencies (ARPA/APPA). Through the national environmental information network known as SINANET, contributions from research institutes and other public administrations are ensured, as they provide data to support environmental policies.

The collection and cataloguing of data on the state of the environment and its evolution, on sources and factors of pollution, environmental pressures, related impacts, and natural and environmental risks enable the systematic transmission of data to the various institutional levels responsible for environmental governance, as well as the dissemination of environmental information to the public.

The data collected by ISPRA and SNPA also constitute an official and binding reference for the activities carried out by public administrations.

The operating framework of SINA is based on the MDIAR model, which includes monitoring, the collection and organization of environmental data and information (also through the development of indicators and indices), environmental analysis, and reporting—namely the structured publication of data, information, and environmental assessments.