Scotland’s environment web has created a new working partnership between Scottish Environment Protection Agency, NatureScot and the Forestry Commission Scotland to develop a new interactive mapping tool on the their website.
This will allow anyone applying for land use grants and applications to abstract environmental information and data from multiple sources through an online map-based system. It is anticipated that the longer term users of the tool will include developers, planning agencies, local authorities and the general public. This project is being delivered using an innovative approach to the agencies working together and sharing expertise, knowledge and effort to deliver the new web-based tool for Scotland’s environment web. The result will be an easier and quicker way to access environmental information for land use planning and development.
A new section has been created on the website offering information and updates about the Life+ project. A description of the project, progress updates, information about the workstreams and deliverables, documents, reports and materials can all be accessed from here.
A new Scotland’s environment web brochure has been designed and produced which gives an overview of what the project is about and what information can be found on the website. A small number of brochures have been printed however it will mainly be made available and distributed in digital form. Noticeboards have also been produced and are on display in the reception areas of a number of the partners head offices. The noticeboards explain what the project is about and the frames for these are made from recycled materials. Watch this space for new briefing notes which will explain the range of different areas of activity which the Scotland’s environment web project will be delivering.
A state of environment editorial group has been established with membership from a range of organisations. Drafting of the state of environment text is delivered by a wider network of expert authors. Four new topics: fishing & fishstocks, aquaculture, water supply and agriculture are being written for the 'state of environment report' which is published on the 'Our Environment' pages.
The editorial group will also be working to include more interactive data, graphs and information, using new data presentation and analysis tools developed by the Life+ project, within the State of Environment report. More information on the SoE and its editorial group members will be uploaded to Scotland’s environment web soon.
The Scotland’s environment web project has an ambitious objective to engage Scotland’s public through environmental monitoring, debate and action. A strategy has been developed to help evaluate how this can be done, with particular interest in measuring the impact of behavioural change interventions. A report was commissioned that summarised theories of behavioural change and what implications they might have for the Scotland’s environment web project. This was followed up with a workshop for project partners who identified priority behaviours that the project should try and influence, helping shape the focus of this part of the project.
A programme of activities have been undertaken to identify the public’s interest in the environment and environmental data. This has included quantitative surveys, such as targeted questions in the Scottish Omnibus Survey and qualitative surveys through general public focus groups. This work has provided a rich source of information to help guide the next stage, which is a series of tools to be developed on Scotland’s environment web which have the specific purpose of engaging Scotland’s people.
A four day workshop with young people from Stirling High School has given the project insight and ideas as to how Scotland’s environment web could help and support young people to enjoy, understand, protect and improve Scotland’s environment. Young people have been recognised as an important target audience for the project; surveys show they are less likely to engage with the environment yet they are the most adept at using digital media. Techniques were used to ensure that the young people themselves lead the structure and output of the workshop. This exciting piece of work resulted in ‘5 Big Ideas’; a game, mobile phone app, a quiz, youth designed web pages and a social networking site. The young people are now working with one of our partners, Abertay University, to turn the ‘5 Big Ideas’ into reality.
An important action towards the project’s objective of engaging the public is to encourage and enable public monitoring or ‘citizen science’. Following preparatory work with partners, an important role was identified for Scotland’s environment web to provide a gateway to citizen science projects active in Scotland. A register of citizen science projects in Scotland is being developed along with a system to match up volunteers with projects and a toolkit of resources and guidance. The project is also investigating how Scotland’s environment web could provide a platform for citizen science data input and display. This will include supporting projects where a gap has been identified, for example, outdoor air quality monitoring. Scotland’s environment web would be interested in sharing experiences with other projects that aim to encourage and increase the numbers involved in citizen science.
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