The Hungarians are keenly interested in international interactions and are willing to develop collaborative research programs
Computers
Ecologists in Hungary have access to microcomputers and electronic networks, but at a minimal level.
Computer and software use appears to be limited by lack of funds and exposure. Most computers observed were 386 or 486 machines, but two multi-user workstations are currently in use for GIS development in the Ministry for Environment and Regional Policy (MERP). The most advanced computer use was demonstrated at the Institute of Ecology and Botany at Vácrátót, where a network-access flora and releve database, and a simulation model of patched landscapes are being developed. Computers are not used for image processing or widely for GIS (see below).
Data Management
While several long-term datasets are being put into database management systems for eventual computer access, data are managed for analysis, not long-term preservation, and are kept by individual investigators in looseleaf and bound notebooks with no backup copies.
Electronic Networks
Many institute scientists have electronic mail access via modem, usually from an institute or park headquarter computer to another at the Academy of Sciences. Accounts available are limited in function and do not allow remote log-in or file transfer, except via a Gopher server. However, the Balatón Institute of Limnological Research and the MERP are in the process of installing local-area networks.
Geographic Information Systems
The use of GIS among sites visited is limited to a new project at the MERP for management in the National Park Regions, and a project at the Institute of Ecology and Botany at Vácrátót, where researchers working on Lake Ferto are experimenting with Dutch raster-based GIS system for satellite imagery. In most cases, aerial photography and maps are manually analyzed.