ROLE OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF GEOGRAPHIC AND ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

This study investigates the transformative role of Management Information Systems (MIS) in enhancing environmental risk assessment, data governance, and decision-making across various ecological and institutional contexts. By integrating spatial, real-time, and multi-source environmental data, MIS platforms have emerged as vital tools for tracking pollution, forecasting hazards, enforcing regulatory compliance, and supporting sustainable policy frameworks. Adopting a qualitative case study methodology, this research examines three strategically selected case studies to represent diverse environmental applications and governance models: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO), the European Environment Agency’s Environmental Indicators System, and Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). These cases illustrate how MIS functions across different domains—industrial pollution monitoring, cross-border environmental indicator standardization, and real-time community alerting for climate-induced disasters. The findings reveal that MIS significantly enhances data transparency, supports institutional coordination, enables timely risk communication, and empowers both policymakers and communities to make informed decisions. However, the study also identifies ongoing challenges, including limitations in system interoperability, the persistence of legacy infrastructure, institutional fragmentation, and insufficient integration of local and indigenous knowledge. The analysis underscores that while MIS platforms are technologically capable, their effectiveness is often constrained by social, political, and infrastructural factors. To maximize impact, MIS design and implementation must align with inclusive, participatory, and socio-technical frameworks that facilitate collaboration between governments, civil society, and local communities. By synthesizing insights from three real-world case studies, this research contributes to the broader discourse on digital transformation in environmental governance and provides actionable recommendations for enhancing the design, scalability, and responsiveness of MIS in achieving long-term sustainability and resilience goals.