As a result of the growing recognition of the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable development, we are now faced with the huge task of documenting and disseminating that knowledge, in the same systematic way that Western knowledge is generated, documented and disseminated.
Rapid modernization underscores the urgency of the task at hand.
At the same time, the present widespread use of computers offers a range of tools which facilitate certain aspects of the work. In some cases, this means formalizing and incorporating non-quantitative or descriptive local knowledge into a knowledge base. In other cases, it involves transforming existing databases, in order to approximate the world model of the local inhabitants. More and more researchers, policy makers, managers and development professionals are now using computerized information systems and decision-support systems in the management of natural resources and the environment. However, these systems operate on models which are influenced by the perspective from which the world is interpreted within a certain discipline.