Interns on Siren's Youth4Governance program have developed a suite of digital tools to shake-up how Lebanon tracks and enforces environmental regulations in the quarrying sector. 

The tools aim to help the Environment Ministry collect more than $2.4 billion in unpaid environmental damage and rehabilitation costs racked up by quarry operators over decades of poor monitoring and enforcement. 

Technological innovations

The digital suite introduces the following core technologies:

1. An information system streamlining revenue collection and stakeholder collaboration 

2. An open data portal with interactive dashboards for transparent tracking of collection orders

3. A computer vision satellite monitoring system to detect illegal quarry expansion and track rehabilitation

4. An legal chatbot that uses NLP to support document research and drafting

Highlights

The quarrying information system compiles all relevant sectoral data and features a “talk to your data” function that allows users to query quarry data and receive instant answers, providing easier access to information to inform policymaking. 

The information system enables automated collection order issuance and tracking, with real-time payment monitoring. The platform includes notification systems for operators, ensuring timely communication, and live dashboards to track payments and promote compliance. 

The AI legal chatbot connects to a knowledge base of environmental regulations and legislation, which it references in its outputs for accuracy and relevance.  It provides step-by-step reasoning for transparency and interpretability. The bot accelerates legal document research and drafting, aiming to ease the burden on Justice Ministry public defenders who will fight legal appeals against payment orders. 

The satellite monitoring tool uses advanced computer vision to track quarry site changes, enabling real-time detection of unauthorised expansions and supporting more effective enforcement. The system allows for remote monitoring of size, depth and extraction volumes. 

Impact and Vision

These tools address critical resource constraints in public environmental monitoring. By automating complex processes and providing transparent, accessible data, we're helping transform governance in Lebanon's critical natural resource sectors.

Read the full report here

About Youth4Governance

Part of our collaboration with Saint Joseph University, the Youth4Governance program engages Lebanon's brightest young talents in practical public sector reform. Over four years, 120 students have gained critical experience in developing innovative governance solutions.