The term "environment information system" has come to be considered as the institutional and technical framework, than just a technological solution, essential for improving the flow and use of information in environmental management. This framework includes strategies, policies, procedures, data management, and communication tools and networking mechanisms that ensure access to environmentally-relevant data by a wide variety of potential users at the national, sub-regional, continental and ultimately global levels.

The operational objective for implementing EIS is to increase the quality, efficiency, and accountability of decision-making processes through applications that systematically use environmental information. In this regard EIS development seeks to enhance the use of harmonised environmental data sets through improving data availability; facilitating access to data; ensuring that data is internally consistent; and ensuring that different data sets match each other. Our concept of an EIS is a network-based institutional framework, supported by geo-information technology, within a supportive data policy setting. This allows for environmental data to be collected, integrated, shared, analysed, and the resulting information and products to be disseminated and used in support of decision making at all levels, in a sustainable development environment.

A common approach has been adopted for the development of EIS in different countries, starting with the identification of a set of policy-related driving forces in which the information system would be anchored. These "driving forces" include a range of national policy frameworks on environment and sustainable development, as well as country obligations to various international "environmental" conventions. These provided a platform for consensus building among all stakeholders, and serve as the instruments through which actions required for meeting the needs for environmental information may be implemented.