Download Data and Information

End users of MIDA – a
government perspective
Trevor Harrison
Environment and Heritage Service
Department of the Environment Northern Ireland
Background:
The Environment &
Heritage Service
Background:
Planning
Service
Corporate
Services
Environmental
Policy
Local Government
&
Road Safety
RSVSD
Local
Government
Background:
Built
Heritage
Natural
Heritage
Environmental
Protection
Protecting Historic
Buildings
Conservation Science
Water Management
Unit
Protecting Historic
Monuments
Conservation
Designations &
Protection
Drinking Water
Inspectorate
Recording Built
Heritage
Countryside & Coast
Air & Environmental
Quality
Regional Operations
Biodiversity
Corporate
Services
Industrial Pollution &
Radiochemical
Inspectorate
Waste Management &
Contaminated Land
Drivers:
International Conventions

The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping
of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention)

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from
Ships (MARPOL Convention)

The Convention on Wetlands 1975 (Ramsar Convention)

The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and
Natural Habitats (Bern Convention)

The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio Convention)

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (Bonn Convention) & The Agreement on the Conservation
of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS)
Drivers:
European Legislation

Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds
(Birds Directive)

Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats
and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive)

Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters
against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources
(Nitrates Directive)

Council Directive 76/160/EEC concerning the Quality of Bathing
Water (Bathing Water Directive)

Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for the Community
action in the field of water policy (Water Framework Directive)

Directive establishing a Framework for Community Action in the field
of Marine Environmental Policy (Marine Strategy Directive)
Drivers:
National Legislation

The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985

The Conservation (Nature Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern
Ireland) 1995

The Industrial Pollution Control (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

The Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999

The Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (ASSIs)

The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations
(Northern Ireland) 2003

The Protection of Water Against Agricultural Nitrate Pollution
Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Environmentally Sensitive Areas Designation Order (Northern
Ireland) 2005
Requirements:
To meet these obligations :
Identify and establish areas for conservation
• Nature Reserves
• National Parks
• Marine Reserves
• Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs)
• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
• Special Protected Areas (SPAs)
• Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
Requirements:
To meet these obligations :
Identify and monitor priority habitats and species
• Habitat Action Plans (NI Boidiversity Strategy)
• Species Action Plans (NI Biodiversity Strategy)
• Annex I Habitats (Article 11 of the Habitats Directive)
• Annex II Species (Article 11 of the Habitats Directive)
• Water status (Article 8 of the Water Framework
Directive)
Requirements:
To meet these obligations:
Report findings
• Government
• Europe
• International bodies
Educate and raise public awareness
Data and Information
Undertaken to develop a framework
for marine nature conservation
The appropriate management of the
marine environment is dependent on
adequate information and data.
Data versus Information
Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis; a series
of observations, measurements, or facts.
Data versus Information
Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis
Data forms
Data versus Information
Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis
Data forms
Spreadsheets
Data versus Information
Data: a collection of facts used for reference or analysis
Data forms
Spreadsheets
Databases
Data versus Information
Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted.
Data versus Information
Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted.
Interpretation
Data
Information
Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by some
kind of data processing system does it take on meaning and
become information.
Data versus Information
Information: the meaning given to data by the way it is interpreted.
Interpretation
Data
Information
Data on its own has no meaning, only when interpreted by some
kind of data processing system does it take on meaning and
become information.
People or computers can find patterns in data to create
information, and this information can be used to reason or make
decisions.
Data and Information
Managers and decision-makers often use summary information
Data and Information
Managers and decision-makers often use summary information
Data and Information
Summary information is often required for reporting
Key
Favourable
Unfavourable - recovering
Unfavourable
Destroyed
Data and Information
Summary information is often required for reporting
Key
Favourable
Unfavourable - recovering
Unfavourable
Destroyed
Data and Information
Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland
The Bathing Water Directive
76/160/EEC
Regularly test the most popular
bathing waters (16 sites)
• mainly bacteria
Data and Information
Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland
Data and Information
Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland
Data and Information
Bathing Waters in Northern Ireland
Data and Information
Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC)
Ecological Status
High
Good
Moderate
Poor
Bad
Data and Information
Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland
The Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC
Article 11 – surveillance of the
conservation status of priority
habitats and species (Annex I
habitats and Annex II species)
Data and Information
Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland
Data and Information
Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland
Rathlin Island EHS 2005 Survey Southwest coast
Stress: 0.11
Upper Infralittoral
Lower Infralittoral
Circalittoral
Data and Information
Marine Surveys in Northern Ireland
Rathlin Island EHS 2005 Survey Southwest coast
Stress: 0.11
Upper Infralittoral
Lower Infralittoral
Circalittoral
 Favourable Conservation Status
Unfavourable Conservation Status
Data and Information
Northern Ireland sea grass beds
Spatial interpretation of data.
• context
• perspective
Data and Information
Northern Ireland sea grass beds
•MNR
•ASSI
•SPA
•SAC
Data and Information
Summary information is an effective communication tool for
educating the general public
Data and Information
Users of Data and Information
Data
Information
Universities
Government Agencies
Research Organisations
Environmental Managers
Consultants
Decision-makers
NGOs
Public
Detail
Perspective
Issues
Issues relating to data and information:
• Ownership
• Quality Assurance
• Auditable
Data and information
Some survey data were not available
• inappropriate format
• data owner was unable or
unwilling to release it.
Data and information
Recommendations:
• a national marine information
network should be established to
which marine data should be
contributed using agreed data
standards;
• all marine data collected with
public funds, and environmental
data collected by the private sector
for the purpose of complying with a
regulatory procedure, should be
placed in the public domain within
specified timescales;
Data and information
Recommendations:
• improved co-ordination of data
collection and research activities
needs to be achieved, and there
should be a greater degree of
collaboration between survey
organisations;
• information on the sources,
availability, extent and attributes of
datasets (metadata) for the marine
environment needs to be easily and
widely accessible.
Issues
Issues relating to data and information:
• Ownership
• Public funded data
• National marine information system
• Summary information
• Quality Assurance
• Metadata (when, where, why, how, who, standards)
• Auditable
• Common Standards Monitoring
Conclusion
Summary information is important to conservation agencies
•
Decision-making
•
Managing
•
Reporting
•
Education
Environmental atlases such as MIDA can play an important role
in assisting government and conservation agencies through the
production and presentation of summary information