Malcolm Gorton Senior Scientist Environment Agency Science - Technology Group Lower Bristol Rd Bath BA2 2QS United Kingdom malcolm.gorton@environment-agency.gov

Part 2: Other information services This session will consist of: Part 1: WIYBY Part 2: Other information services Part 3: Next Steps Part 4: Workshop

the Environment Agency Non Departmental Public Body responsible to UK Governments Department of the Environment - (Defra) Wide range of duties and powers relating to environmental management 11,000 staff across England and Wales 8 Regional Offices, 26 Area Offices Approximately100 staff respond to >350,000 requests We place a high priority on the provision of information in achieving environmental goals

Part 1: WIYBY

What’s in Your Backyard What’s in Your Backyard?- (WIYBY) a GIS, Internet based national web application (www.environment-agency.gov.uk). Users can find information from a national level, right down to their local environment: locating areas of interest, displaying data to a chosen scale, formulating individual queries on the datasets, gaining background on information of interest, and downloading data for their own use off line.

What’s in Your Backyard 51% of map requests are flooding related

WIYBY: One service fits all Local communities Students Schoolchildren Teachers Consultants Solicitors Business Data WIYBY

Part 2: Other information services

Public Registers Purpose To provide public register information in a modern electronic manner that befits the environment, our customers and our business Driver Government modernising targets Defra Legislative Review group Requirement to operate openly Reduction of travel to our Area offices

Public Registers: …the process Application Consultation Responses Monitoring Advert Licence Action Public Register

Public access: does it work? Are people aware? Are paper files convenient? Is the information presented meaningfully? Is location in offices convenient? Do we reach a wide cross-section of society? Could we do better?!

Property Search: our old approach Customer Contact Up to 12 functions Log and track Distribute for answers Compile response Send out and log request Acknowledge Finance Re-allocation of resources Confirmation of payment Cheque Reconciliation Exceptions Receipt it costs a lot of time and money to provide inconsistent information at the wrong time

Property Search: a new approach Internet Analysis - Mapping Application Server Control Logic Map Services Feature Services Geospatial Database

Property Search system

Property Search system

Old Service New Service Property Search system Old Service New Service 6 week response 6 minute response Adhoc replies Tailored reports Resource drain Income stream Cost recovery €75 Service charge €37 30,000 requests Possible 1M+ requests

Environmental Facts and Figures Aims of EFF National overview of the whole environment to meet statutory duty under the Environment Act 1995 Live and up to date state of the environment reporting on the web Steps back from Agency to report state of the environment through facts and figures

EFF Content 130 pages covering a range of environmental topics

A brief history of EFF 1996 - First release of Snapshot of environment coincided with launch of the Environment Agency to meet statutory duty to report on SoE and show breadth of areas that new Agency covered 1996 - Snapshot of environment on the web followed shortly after using view points/stresses & strains framework 1997 to 2000 - SoE online developed & expanded and Information Scientists take on update/author role 2000 - Indicators developed 2001 - Environment 2000 & Beyond released 2001 - Environmental Facts & Figures developed with a simpler structure & style and incorporation of Indicators

EFF Approach Outline the issue Plain English based on sound science Facts & figures not opinion Results at top of page How it is changing over time What is being done, but avoid selling the Agency Brief details of legislation (if appropriate) Where to find out more

Intended audience Interested lay people A-Level/GCSE students Undergraduates Journalists Agency staff Local authority officers Councillors MPs Environmental consultants Businesses

Results of a user survey Reasons for visiting work 36% personal interest 31% study 23% (mainly higher education) Did you find what you wanted? yes fairly easily 59% no 32% yes with difficulty 9%

Part 3: Our next steps

Our Way Forward Electronic access to actual documents Real time ‘flagging’ of live decisions Research into social aspects of engagement Partnerships with local community groups Electronic ‘open forums’ Record interests and provide relevant information Assess impacts on our own organisation

Engaging Citizens Make information relevant to everyday lives Link Information Systems to Participation Systems Provide access without effort, where and when required Use novel techniques to reach all of society (Please tell us how to do it!)

...from singular information systems Data WIYBY Data Flood Warning Data Reporting Data Internal

...to Integrated Information Services Financial Investment Financial Services Reporting Insurance, Consultancies and other spin offs Residential Data Property Search Land Development Commercial WIYBY V2 Individuals Company identifier Communitiese.g. libraries - what’s happening in your area eDecisions Documents Education - What’s happening/have your say, local data to analyse, etc. Publications Local Government

Interoperability Interoperable GIS Data - Standards Architecture and Standards Interoperability Interoperable GIS Data - Standards

Interoperability - What is it? ‘capability to communicate, execute programs, or transfer data among various functional units in a manner that requires the user to have little knowledge of the unique characteristics of those units’ [ISO 2382-1]

Interoperability - What is it? In other words: ‘the ability of systems to talk to one another in an agreed manner’ Adoption of standards is the keystone to interoperability (SOAP, WMS, WFS, SQL, HTML, XML)

Interoperable GIS - What is it? Spatial components and standards that allow the communication described above A standardised manner of discovering, querying, retrieving, and disseminating digital geographic information.

Environmental Services Interoperability-What does this mean Local Government Work Local Maps (ESRI SDE) Standards Environmental Services Mobile Hazards (Intergraph) Standards Network Home Routes and Timetables (MapInfo) Standards School Registers (ORACLE) Transport Services Standards Central Government

Why do we want interoperable GIS Greater access to decision support information. Opening-up isolated data islands. Better customer/citizen service. Real-time access and delivery of a wider range of data sources and services.

Why do we want interoperable GIS More efficient system implementations No re-invention of the wheel Reduced reliance on proprietary/vendor specific platforms, data sources, and components Ability to swap-out components in best-of-breed architectures

Drivers - Simple Accessibility Interoperability can be the glue that binds multiple, complex resources into more simple views Data Providers Commercial Services N.G.O’s Schools Service Agencies Government Departments Local Authorities Interoperability SOAP - XML - GML - WFS - WMS - HTTP - ISO Interoperability Planning Portal INSPIRE GI Gateway

Data - Standards Data interfaces that conform to defined model standards allow diverse systems to...

Part 4: Workshop

EA/UNEP Project: Background EA/UNEP collaboration since 2000 Building upon experience Senior Support

Project Proposal Capacity Building Develop pilots/proof of concepts Deliver a framework common requirements engender consistency identification of funding streams identification of user needs … linked to EU ‘INSPIRE’ initiative

Project: Current Status ‘Seedcorn’ funding Bid to UK FCO funding Seeking Partners … and advice, comments, information ...

EA/UNEP Project Framework From Inspiration to practice ... EA/UNEP Project Framework Reference Data and Metadata Architecture & Standards Environmental Thematic Data Implementation Structures & Funding Impact Analysis Data Policy & Legal Issues