8.10.2007| folie 1 electronic access to environmental information – an important fundament for...
TRANSCRIPT
8.10.2007| Folie 1
Electronic access to environmental information – an important
fundament for e-democracy and environmental protection
Ad hoc Committee on E-Democracy of the Council
of Europe (CAHDE) Strasbourg, 8-9 October 2007
Michael Nagy
Rudolf Legat
J. Hrebicek
(Additional material used from T. Pick, S. Jensen, F. Kruse,
T. Vögele, H.-J. Krammer)
8.10.2007| Folie 2
E-Environment: a fundament for E-Democracy
E-Democracy strives to simplify processes between public institutions, legislative, citizen, companies, …
E-Democracy refers to electronic information, communication and transactions
Important goals of E-Democracy are simplification of bureaucracy more transparent decision making and law implementation to support public participation in many ways
E-Environment: is based on existing International Conventions and EU Directives guarantee citizen standardized access to environmental information
and public participation
8.10.2007| Folie 3
E-Environment supports the protection of the environment
Control effect: Each individual can control the compliance with environmental law and point out deficits
Participation effect: Increase of transparency and better public participation.
Education effect (awareness effect): Distribution of knowledge regarding the state of the environment; better acceptance of measures
Prevention effect: Potential polluters should be discouraged because of the risk of publication of these activities
Standardization effect: Pan-European comparable principles regarding access to environmental information. Prevention of competitive distortion.
8.10.2007| Folie 4
Towards sharing environmental information...
Tim
e
INSPIRE Directive, 2007
Directive on Public Participation, 2003
Directive on Reuse of Public SectorInformation, 2003
SEIS, national environmental portals,….
Directive on Public Accessto Environmental Information, 2003
Aarhus Conventionon Access to Information, 1998
Rio Declaration on Environment andDevelopment, 1992
Declaration of the UN Stockholm Conferenceon the Human Environment, 1972
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The 3 Pillars of the Aarhus Convention
Access to environmental
information
Aarhus Convention
Public participation
Access to justice
8.10.2007| Folie 6
The Aarhus-Convention
FULL NAME: UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (done at Aarhus, Denmark, on 25 June 1998)
ISSUES: Public right to know, right to participate in environmental decision-making, right to justice in environmental matters. It links environment right and human rights.
GOALS: Enhancing government accountability, transparency, and responsiveness. Assisting civil society participation & helping to create participatory democracy for sustainable development in Europe.
3 Pillars: Public Access to Environmental Information Public Participation Access to Justice (in environmental matters)
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Reuse of Public Sector Information
EU Implementation2007/2/EC
2003/98/EC
2003/35/EC
2003/4/EC
INSPIRE: Infrastructure for Spatial Information
Providing for Public Participation
Public Access to Env. Information
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Directive 2003/4/EC (Public Access to Environmental Information)
Right of Access to Environmental Information (held by or for public authorities)
All Environmental Information held for or by Public Authorities Upon request by ANYBODY, ANYWHERE, without having to state
an interest, ASAP In the requested format (unless already available in other format) Progressive Dissemination to the Public Requires MSs to ensure the availability and dissemination of this
information Using Computer Telecommunication and/or electronic technology Officials support public in seeking access Officials make practical arrangements for access
Supply lists of public authorities Supply lists or registers of environmental information held by PA
8.10.2007| Folie 9
Environmental Information is any Information about …
Elements
Water
Soil
Air
Land
Biodiversity
…
Factors
Substances
Energy
Noise
Radiation
Emissions
Waste
…
Measures
Policies
Legislation
Plans
Programmes
Agreements
…
Effects
Health
Food Chain
Conditions of Human Life
Cultural Sites
Built Structures
…
8.10.2007| Folie 10
Directive 2007/2/EC (INSPIRE Directive)
Refers to spatial information (i.e. GIS data) as a subset of environmental information
Addressed to public authorities, businesses and only in third priority to the general public
EU MSs must ensure the establishment of infrastructure for spatial information: Metadata Spatial data sets and data services Network services and technologies Agreements on sharing, access and use of data Coordination and monitoring mechanisms, processes
and procedures to facilitate the technical implementation
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Spatial data themes addressed through INSPIRE
Annex I Annex II Annex III
Coordinate reference systems
Geographical grid systems
Geographical names
Administrative units
Addresses
Cadastral parcels
Transport networks
Hydrography
Protected sites
Elevation
Land cover
Orthoimagery
Geology
Statistical units
Buildings
Soil
Land use
Human health and safety
Utility and governmental services
Environmental monitoring facilities
Production and industrial facilities
Agricultural and aquaculture facilities
Population distribution – demography
Area management / restriction / regulation zones and reporting units
Natural risk zones
Atmospheric conditions
Meteorological geographical features
Oceanographic geographical features
Sea regions
Bio-geographical regions
Habitats and biotopes
Species distribution
Energy resources
Mineral resources
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Aarhus
Thematic Space
2003/4/ECINSPIRE
Access To
Informa-tion
Access to
Justice
Public Particip
ation
8.10.2007| Folie 13
Administration
Different Target Groups
EnvironmentalAdministration
Citizens
Business
PSI
EEID
INSPIRE
8.10.2007| Folie 14
2003/4/EC and INSPIRE Challenges
Different Strategies in Member States Structural Heterogeneity Semantic Heterogeneity
No Harmonization / Standardization Activities (e.g. no procedures, schemes, Ontologies etc.)
No Tools (Taxonomy, Ontology, Services) No Implementation Guidance available No Funding ?
No Interoperability! No Information (exchange)
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Technical implementation – Environmental Portals
European level: SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System) Regional: e.g. Information Infrastructure for the North and Baltic
Sea (NOKIS); http:// nokis.baw.de National (examples):
DE: PortalU – http://www.portalu.de CZ: Geoportal – http://geoportal.cenia.cz AT: Koordinierungsstelle für Umweltinformation –
http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/umweltinformation/koordinierungsstelle
CH: Metainformationsystem Envirocat – http://www.envirocat.ch Sub-national:
Umweltportal Hessen Umweltobjektkatalog Bayern and many others
8.10.2007| Folie 16
SEIS – Shared Environmental Information System
Development of an Environmental Information Systems in Europe• improved usage of environmental data• „Streamlining and harmonisation of monitoring and reporting
obligations“• INSPIRE as a core element
Parties involved: „Group of 4“ (Go4)• DG ENV• EEA• Eurostat• JRC
End of 2007: „SEIS Comission Communication“ expected:• political framework• links with INSPIRE and streamlining of reporting and monitoring
provisions• suggest policy options to go from ‚Concept to Reality‘
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SEIS Principles
Information should be managed as close as possible to its source
Information is provided once and shared with others for many purposes
Data and information should be readily accessible to end-users to enable them to access it timely
Information should be made available to the public after due consideration of the appropriate level of aggregation, given possible confidentiality constraints, and at national level in the national language(s)
8.10.2007| Folie 18
Building a distributed information system - SEISBuilding a distributed information system - SEISExample Water Information System for EuropeExample Water Information System for Europe
Emissionsdata
Emissionsdata
UserUser
Internet(Geonetwork Inspire)
Internet(Geonetwork Inspire)
EEAinformation
services
EEAinformation
services
Data fromother
Directives
Data fromother
DirectivesGeo-Ref.Geo-Ref.
InternationalConventionsInternationalConventions
NationalData
centres
NationalData
centres
Internet(Inspire)
Internet(Inspire)
Sub-nationalData
Centres
Sub-nationalData
Centres
GMESGMES
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Near Real Time Ozone Monitoring
http://www.eea.europa.eu./maps/ozone
8.10.2007| Folie 20
Central access to environmental information On all levels of administration (national, provincial, municipal)
Standardized access to environmental information all over Germany
Evidence of env. information regarding UIG (EEID) Support at:
active dissemination of env. information evidence of existing env. data (via metadata)
Common contribution of the env. authorities to INSPIRE spatial metadata connected to geodata-services
http://www.portalu.de/ In operation since: May 29, 2006
DE: One-Stop-Shop example: Umweltportal Deutschland
8.10.2007| Folie 21
DE: Portals on different Levels of AdministrationPortalUBund/Länderportal
Landes-Umweltportal
Kommunale Portale
Landesdatenkatalog (OGC konform)
Geoportal
National
Provincional
Municipal
INSPIRE Geoportal
8.10.2007| Folie 22
AT: The Coordination Centre (KUI) provides information
KUI informs the public about its activities on the Internet at http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/koordinierungsstelle/.
KUI also provides information on the Environmental Information Act (EIA 2004, UIG 2004) at HELP.gv.at http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/166/Seite.1660000.html
The platform of the working group Environmental Information (UW-UI) on the Reference Server at http://reference.e-government.gv.at/Q-UI_Umweltinformation.1024.0.html
8.10.2007| Folie 23
Conclusions
Timely and sound environmental information is the basis for Control of compliance with the environmental law Better public participation Increase of knowledge on the state of the environment Prevention of potential pollution Prevention of competitive distortion
And thus an element of political democracy
European initiatives are well founded on the Aarhus Convention and are currently being legally and technically implemented
