We live in an age of information. We also live in an era of rising environmental awareness. As a result, efficient and judicious use of environmental information has become a prerequisite to planning and management of environmental affairs in contemporary societies. During the past few decades, we have recorded a phenomenal rate of growth. and experienced an array of environmental problems such as pollution, destruction of natural environment, and ecological disturbances. In response to these problems we has embarked on a study of Environmental Information System(EIS). This study has four major components. First, it describes the current status of EIS in Korea. Second, it provides a survey of EIS in other countries, specifically USA and Japan. Third, the study also presents an application of GIS(Geographic Information System)in Korea, USA, and Japan. Finally, the study outlines strategies to develop EIS in Korea.

Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) is developing as a tool for environmentally sound and sustainable development in Korea. For more effective implementation of it, we try to apply Environmental Information System (EIS) to EIA process. EIS is composed of geographic and attribute data related to environment and Geographic Information System(GIS), and it will be applied to scoping, prediction, and alternative assessment, etc. in EIA. This study focuses on application of geographic data using GIS in suitability analysis of alternative assessment. We use TIN, buffering, and overlaying in GIS functions.

As the environmental concerns in Korea have shifted gradually from the environmental pollutions to the quality of life (QOL) enhancement, it has become increasingly important to implement comprehensive assessment of environmental quality as possible. This is the major reason to develop Environmental Assessment Index. This study focuses on indices development of factors in Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Regulation. Environment in this regulation is composed of natural environment, life environment and socio-economic environment, and it is composed of 22 factors. EAI(Environmental Assessment Index)studied in this research is integrated by 16 factors. It will contribute to public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment process and environmental policy.

To prevent unwanted visual impacts of proposed projects before they are actually built, Visual Impact Assessment(VIA) is conducted in current landscape planning and management process. The application of VIA to actual projects raises some important questions: "What views will the project affect?" "What tools and techniques are effective for predicting and portraying future landscape conditions?" "Who should determine the value of the impacts?" and "How can the impacts be measured?" Types and levels of visual impacts should be decided through analyzing both the existing landscape and the proposed project. Computer-based visual simulations will play a pivotal role as effective prediction and communication tools. With professionals' assistance, the public participation in the VIA process will produce meaningful solutions for planning and managing the future landscape. Also, the use of a proper response format and sensitive assessment criteria in measuring the public's opinion will enrich outcomes of the assessment. Based on the methodological framework, the case study briefly explains an application of VIA to an actual project.

Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) is defined as an activity designed to identify and predict the impact on the environment. In the process of an EIA, the quantitative evaluation is generally performed for the air and water quality which have the national environmental quality standards. But the predicted values for the air and water quality are simply compared to the environmental standards. At present, the EIA process of Korea has no consideration for the possible human health risk resulting from the development projects. Environmental Health Impact Assessment(EHIA) is an applied methodology of EIA to estimate the acceptable health risk caused by a specified level of environmental pollutants. Estimating the excessive lifetime risk that is a possibility of dying of a certain disease by environmental contaminants, is useful as an evaluation technique of EHIA. It is recommanded the decision-makers to make efficient use of EHIA not only the development projects but also legislative proposals, policies and programmes in future.