Malcolm GortonSenior Scientist
Environment AgencyScience - Technology GroupLower Bristol RdBath BA2 2QSUnited Kingdom
Part 1: WIYBY
Part 2: Other information services
Part 3: Next Steps
Part 4: Workshop
This session will consist of:
• 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
the Environment Agency
Part 1: WIYBY
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
What’s in Your Backyard
Local communities
Students
Schoolchildren
Teachers
Consultants
Solicitors
Business
Data WIYBY
WIYBY: One service fits all
Part 2: Other information services
Purpose
To provide public register informationin a modern electronic mannerthat befits the environment, our customersand our business
Driver
Government modernising targetsDefra Legislative Review groupRequirement to operate openlyReduction of travel to our Area offices
Public Registers
Application
Advert
ConsultationResponses
Licence
Monitoring
Action
Public Register
Public Registers: …the process
• 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?!
Public access: does it work?
request
Customer Contact
Log andtrack
AcknowledgeDistribute for answers
Up to 12
functions
Send outand log
Finance
• it costs a lot of time and money
• to provide inconsistent information
• at the wrong time
Compileresponse
Cheque Reconciliation ExceptionsRe-allocation of resources
ReceiptConfirmation of payment
Property Search: our old approach
GeospatialDatabase
Application Server
Control Logic
Feature Services
Map Services
Internet
Analysis - Mapping
Property Search: a new approach
Property Search system
Property Search system
Old Service New Service
• 6 week response 6 minute response
• Cost recovery €75 Service charge €37
• Resource drain Income stream
• Adhoc replies Tailored reports
• 30,000 requests Possible 1M+ requests
Property Search system
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
130 pages covering a range of environmental topics
EFF Content
• 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
EFF Approach
• Interested lay people
• A-Level/GCSE students
• Undergraduates
• Journalists
• Agency staff
• Local authority officers
• Councillors
• MPs
• Environmental consultants
• Businesses
Intended audience
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%
Results of a user survey
Part 3: Our next steps
• 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
Our Way Forward
• 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!)
Engaging Citizens
Data WIYBY
Data Flood Warning
Data Reporting
Data Internal
...from singular information systems
Reporting
WIYBY V2 Education - What’s happening/have your say, local data to analyse, etc.
Communitiese.g. libraries - what’s happening in your area
Individuals
Publications Local Government
Insurance, Consultancies and other spin offs
Land Development
Commercial
Company identifier
Financial Investment
Financial Services
...to Integrated Information Services
Residential
Data
Property Search
eDecisions
Documents
Interoperability
Interoperable GIS
Data - Standards
Architecture and Standards
• Interoperability:
– ‘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)
Interoperability - What is it?
• Interoperable GIS
– Spatial components and standards that allow the communication described above
• A standardised manner of discovering, querying, retrieving, and disseminating digital geographic information.
Interoperable GIS - What is it?
Routes and Timetables(MapInfo)
Local Maps(ESRI SDE)
Registers(ORACLE)
Mobile
Work
Home
Hazards(Intergraph)
Local Government
Environment
al Services
Transport
Services
Central
Government
School
Standar
ds
Standar
ds
Standar
ds
Standar
ds
Network
Interoperability-What does this mean
• 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
Why do we want interoperable GIS
• Interoperability can be the glue that binds multiple, complex resources into more simple views
Data ProvidersCommercial
ServicesN.G.O’sSchools
ServiceAgencies
GovernmentDepartments
Local Authorities
Interoperability SOAP - XML - GML - WFS - WMS - HTTP - ISO Interoperability
Planning
Portal
INSPIREGI Gateway
Drivers - Simple Accessibility
Data interfaces that conform to defined model standards allow diverse systems to...
Data - Standards
Part 4: Workshop
• EA/UNEP collaboration since 2000
• Building upon experience
• Senior Support
EA/UNEP Project: Background
• 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 Proposal
• ‘Seedcorn’ funding
• Bid to UK FCO funding
• Seeking Partners
• … and advice, comments, information ...
Project: Current Status
EA/UNEP Project Framework
• Reference Data and Metadata
• Architecture & Standards
• Environmental Thematic Data
• Implementation Structures & Funding
• Impact Analysis
• Data Policy & Legal Issues
From Inspiration to practice ...