Who are we?

A collaboration between partners

Working in partnership is at the very heart of Scotland’s environment web. With contributions from some of Scotland’s leading organisations that look to protect and improve the environment, the website presents information in a way that makes it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.

Scotland’s environment web partnership aims to provide:

• Shared knowledge – multiple data applications drawing on the most up-to-date openly published data.
• evidence base that draws on multiple sources of information, to inform policy development, operational assessments and decisions.
• a user/customer focused approach to digital services.
• accessibility to information and data by those that need it, when they need it.
• a network of interconnected websites that provide trusted and authoritative information.
• economy and efficiency – accomplishing more jointly than we can individually, enhancing capability while avoiding duplication of effort.
• collaboration through shared resources and expertise to develop solutions to common challenges.

The Scotland’s environment network

Through partnerships and collaborations, Scotland’s environment web is growing a network of interconnected, trusted and authoritative sources of data and information. Through search, discovery and clear signposting, users can choose the level of detail they prefer for data interaction.

Scotland’s environment

• Scotland’s environment website is for users who are seeking a broad overview and are interested in exploring the inter-relationships of the multiple aspects of Scotland’s environment.
• The centralised search and discovery portal, allows users to find and get to multiple sources of information and data, regardless of who publishes it.
• This website is not a data repository. It is a consumer of openly published data by our partners, transforming it into data analysis and map tools to help users view and analyse data.

Scotland’s environment website is not a legal entity. It does not own any of the data that is presented within the applications and tools on the website, and does not express opinion.

Part of Scotland’s environment web network

• In addition to the centralised portal, there is a growing network of trusted and authoritative sources of more detailed and specalised environmental data.
• This network consists of websites for users with an interest in more specific topic based data sets and who wish to carry out more detailed data analysis.
• These websites often publish data on specific environmental topics.
• Similar data viewing/analysis tools are available, but will have a much more focused data scope and often more advanced functionality.
• View the list of websites that make up the Scotland’s environment web network

Benefits

Environmental benefits

• A multi-agency view of Scotland’s environment - informs the way our environment is monitored and allows public bodies to focus monitoring activities on the most important threats.
• Web-based tools to access, view, and analyse environmental data - supports evidence-based policy development, assessments, and decision making.
• Map search and geographical area querying tools aid understanding of environmental features, designations and local environmental quality by business, communities and researchers.

Economic benefits

• A shared platform for collaboration and innovation delivers joined-up services and value for money by reusing existing applications and infrastructure to develop new digital products designed to meet the needs of users and partners.
• Promotion of the use of open data by third party applications adds value to an organisation’s data.
• Smaller agencies and individuals have quick and easy access to a wide range of shared data.

Social benefits

• Local communities are empowered to observe and record environmental change, so improving our understanding of the local environment.

Award-winning project

May 2016 – awarded one of the top 24 Best LIFE Environment Projects, out of 113 that finished in 2015, and more impressively, one of the top 5 'Best of the Best' projects.

Scotland’s environment web team members Jo Muse (Principal Policy Officer, SEPA), Leeann Burzynski (Web Developer, SEPA), Paula Brown (Senior Project Manager, SEPA) receiving awards from the European Commission's Director-General for Environment, Daniel Calleja Crespo.

June 2016 – winner of the Holyrood ICT Project Delivery award.

Paula Brown (Senior Project Manager, SEPA) received the award sponsored by Hunter Macdonald, on behalf of the delivery team and our partners, with event host Fred Macaulay.