Sharing Environmental Assessment Knowledge

Transcription

1 Introduction Sharing Environmental Assessment Knowledge S.E.A.K. Rodney Nowrojee - SEEK Manager Spatial Services, Office of

2 About the Who are the? An independent authority of 5 members Supported by 100 Office of staff Using the power of the E.P. Act 1986 Approval by Minister Formal Assessment by What do they do? Advise the Government on environmental matters Most common is for environmental impact assessments on development proposals (ie. urban planning, mining, infrastructure, oil and gas) recommends, Minister Approves Initial Assessment by by Office of Proposal by proponent

3 About the Jurisdiction of Whole of WA, land, water, air Everything living in, on or under it. Structure of O Assessment Function Marine Ecosystems Expertise Terrestrial Ecosystems Expertise Policy Spatial Analysis\ GIS Land: sq km Marine: sq km Total: sq km O has about 100 staff so that is roughly sq km each.

4 Role of GIS in Research and analyse information to provide answers Communicate opinion or position to others spatially - via data or maps Translate and integrate science into decision making framework (others or our own) About the IT. Hardware and network Surveyor Geodesist Remote Sensor Physicist Programmer Cartographer Graphic Designer Publisher Policy Officer Assessment officer Botanist Zoologist Project Manager Team leader Communications Officer Data Entry Electronic records manager Database administrator Web designer Psychologist \ Interpreter Negotiator Researcher Analyst (environmental & data) Statistician Teacher\Trainer Business Analyst Lawyer

5 About the How GIS and spatial analysis is used in the O

6 About the Example 1: Discovering and advising on useful data

7 About the Example 2: Proximity Analysis for Environmental Considerations

8 About the Example 3: Checking spatial aspects of proposals and conditions

9 Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge About the Example 4: Depicting the Big Picture EIA proposal footprints dataset Mines, petroleum leases satellite imagery in the North

10 Who and what is happening? Currently there is a Ministerial Taskforce investigating a conceptual model and business case. The taskforce is chaired by the Chairman, and includes representatives of government, private industry and Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge SEAK: Introduction Sharing Environmental Assessment Knowledge: S.E.A.K. - SEEK What is it? Is an aspiration to effectively share environmental information within the environmental assessment community proponents, govt agencies, environmental consultants, NGOs and the public. Why share this information? Benefits to each within their respective roles in the development, assessment and approvals processes.

11 Definitions Referral and Assessment of Proposals Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Assessment Cumulative Impact Assessment Knowledge People Spatial Data Condition Implementation Reporting Document s Text Databas e Regional Assessment State of Environment Reporting We see these elements funnel through the

12 Information Sources Where will the knowledge come from? i) Generated by assessments: Pre-referral e.g. field surveys During assessment e.g. field surveys and research Records of decisions e.g. footprints of Proposal Activities and Ministerial Conditions areas Post approval e.g. compliance monitoring and research ii) Relevant reference information: Existing knowledge bases e.g. Herbarium and Museum collection databases Environmental assets e.g. Declared Rare Flora, Bushforever Contextual information e.g. Contours, Town Planning Schemes

13 Information Types Generated by assessments - created by the proponent e.g. Species Observations e.g. Mangrove Mapping e.g. Vegetation Association Modelling

14 Information Types Generated by assessments spatial record of decisions e.g. EIA Spatial Register

15 Information Types Generated by assessments - post approval (monitoring, management and research) e.g. Research e.g. Management Plans

16 Information Types Relevant reference information - existing knowledge-bases e.g. Herbarium database e.g. Online knowledge bases

17 Information Types Relevant reference information environmental assets e.g. Threatened Fauna Observations e.g. Bushforever Sites e.g. Proposed Conservation Areas ( Red Book )

18 Information Types Relevant reference information contextual information e.g. Metropolitan Region Scheme e.g. Contours

19 Recognised Issues knowledge is more than data more than a system is needed intellectual property and access will need to be addressed there is a current lack of standards co-ordination of multiple groups can be difficult funding of distributed components and functions there are a lot of portals!

20 Data Flow and Capture Used Captured Pre Referral Used Captured Field Surveys Proposal Footprint Decision Footprint NA NA Monitoring/Research NA NA Assessment Captured Field Surveys Proposal Footprint Used Decision Footprint NA NA Monitoring/Research NA NA Report Field Surveys Proposal Footprint Decision Footprint Monitoring/Research NA NA Ministerial Report Field Surveys Proposal Footprint Decision Footprint Monitoring/Research NA NA Post Approval Field Surveys Proposal Footprint Decision Footprint Monitoring/Research

21 Functional Needs Knowledge People Spatial Data Documents Text Databa se Create Collect Organise Store Analyse Present Communicate Custodianship Governance Funding Referral & Assessment of Proposals Environmental Assessment Condition Implementation Reporting Cumulative Impact Assessment Regional Assessment State of Environment Reporting Strategic Environmental Assessment Forms of Knowledge Forms of Environmental Functions

22 What about existing systems / portals? Portals are built to serve specific business requirements or processes No business has the same requirements or processes as Western Australian environmental assessment There is no existing model for sharing environmental assessment knowledge

23 SEAK Objective SEAK Good governance structure and sufficient funding

24 Workshops 7 workshops over 4 weeks Representatives from Industry, Government, Environmental Consultants Function Definition Create Collect Organise Analyse and Present Store and Communicate Custodianship Governance and Funding Aspects and issues related to observing the environment and electronically recording those observations, interpretations or models and their data standards Aspects and issues related to technical methods of gathering digital environmental data from many sources Aspects and issues related to the organisational arrangement of data from many sources into useful compilations, collections or forms Aspects and issues related to the presentation and analysis of environmental data which is useful to environmental assessment; monitoring and auditing; strategic, cumulative and regional assessment Aspects and issues related to the physical housing of digital data and how to distribute and connect it to many audiences Aspects and issues related to ownership and fair representation of contributing origins of environmental data Aspects and issues related to the governance and funding of institutional arrangements surrounding the creation, collection, organisation, analysis and presentation, storage and communication, and custodianship of environmental data

25 Summary of Workshops Primarily about people and process Business Analyst function Data Administration function Relationship Management/Culture Creation function Overall Management function Steering Committee/Governance function Each function needs to be filled; how filled depends on required deliverables Technology is no longer the limiting factor Necessary to foster a culture of sharing knowledge Standards will be needed

26 Model Governance Functions Management Co-ordinates and manages all functions and personnel SEAK Council Provides strategic direction and governance Business Functions Business Analysis Translates the strategic objectives into operational processes and effective outputs Data Curation Develops and implements processes for administration, storage and access of assessment knowledge Relationship Management Creates and promotes a culture of sharing and using assessment knowledge Operational Functions Create Creation of assessment knowledge in a common format Collect Receive and create digital versions of assessment knowledge Organise Logical arrangement and cataloguing of assessment knowledge Store Physical housing of the assessment knowledge Analyse & Present Generation of derived products and application of cartographic techniques to present assessment knowledge in a useful manner Communicate Connecting users with assessment knowledge

27 Example of a list Type Policy/Admin/Legal Name Western Swamp Tortoise Policy Boundary (2003) Goldfields Residential Policy Boundary (2003) Kwinana Atmosphere Policy Boundary (1999) Swan Canning Policy Boundary (1998) SW Ag Zone Wetlands Policy Boundary (1998) SW Ag Zone Wetlands Register Boundary (1998) SCP Lakes Policy Boundary (1992) SCP Lakes Register Boundary (1992) Peel Harvey Policy Boundary (1992) Gnangara Mound Policy Boundary (1992) Cockburn Sound SEP Area (2004) Cockburn Sound SEP Eco Protection Levels (2004) Cape Range Province (1999) Natural Areas (2003) Tropical Arid Zone Mangroves (2001) Lake Clifton Catchment (1998) Bush Forever Study Area Public Drinking Water Supply Areas Agreement to Reserve Sites Proposed Conservation Reserve Sites (Redbook) Proposed National Parks CAMBA JAMBA Jandakot groundwater ecological maintanence areas Ramsar Wetlands Managed Land Marine Management Areas Candidate Marine Conservation Areas (Wilson Report) MRS, GBRS and PRS Regionally Open Space Commonwealth Marine Areas Areas agreed for Offset Custodian DPI DOW AGRIC DEP RFA DPI DPI DOW DPI DEH Point, line, polygon, raster Update frequency Currency Coverage Scale Completeness Positional Accuracy Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database Fitzgerald River Biosphere Reserve Northwest Shelf ecological protection areas Perth Coastal Waters Environmental Protection Levels DEH UNESCO Environmental Assets Scientific Assets Cultural/Social/Heritage Assets Potentially locally significant natural areas Threatened Ecological Communities Priority Ecological Communities Declared Rare Flora Priority Rare Flora Declared Rare Fauna Priority Rare Fauna Threatened and Poorly Reserved Plant Communities Bush Forever Sites Directory of Important Wetlands Wild Rivers Lakes EPP Register Geomorphic CCW Wetlands Floristic Sites Soil Reference Sites Water monitoring Bores Stream Gauges WARMS Sites Air Quality Monitoring Sites NPI Monitoring Facilites WIN sites Aboriginal Heritage Sites Hiking Trails World Heritage Areas Commonwealth Heritage Sites National Heritage Sites PBP DEP DPI DEH WRC AGRIC DOW DOW AGRIC DOE DOW DIA DEH DEH Register National Estate Australian Heritage Comission Sites Local Government Heritage Sites DEH Vulnerable Natural Features/Important Landforms Historic Shipwrecks Acid Sulphate Soil Risk Salinity Risk Caves/Karst Systems Rivers (with 200m buffer) Lakes Banded Ironstone Formations DLI DLI Forshores Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Ecological Linkages Apiary Sites Wetlands (other than Geomorphic CCW's) Surfacewater ecological water requirement areas Groundwater ecological water requirement areas Remnant Vegetation Mangroves DLI and DOW DOW NVIS Riparian Vegetation Seagrass Threats/Risks Cane Toad Sightings Floodplains Contaminated Sites Fault Lines Sea Level Rise areas DOW DOIR Fire Risk Cyclone Paths Cyclone Intensity and Frequency Areas of Dieback Infestation DEWHA Mosquito Breeding Zones Descriptive Characteristics State Planning Schemes (MRS, GBRS, PRS) Local Planning Schemes (TPS) DPI Geology Soil Type Landscape Mapping Vegetation Type Apparent Naturalness Biophysical Naturalness Species Richness Wilderness Quality Salinity Risk DOIR DAF AGWA NVIS DEH DEH, RFA RFA RFA Erosion Risk Landuse Marine Benthic Habitat Mapping Catchment Condition ALUM Elevation

28 Example of a spatial index

29 Example of a compilation Example 1: Compilation of same or similar concepts

30 Example of a compilation Example 2: Compilation of various concepts to present a value system

31 Conclusion Summary plays a wide ranging role increasingly dependent of information SEAK aspires to effectively co-ordinate and share information within the assessment community Potential benefits: environmental gains through better decisions based on improved access to knowledge economic gains through avoiding repeated environmental investigations and reducing timelines improved capacity to monitor environmental outcomes improved planning and management of strategic environmental issues improved environmental knowledge base A Ministerial Taskforce is concluding a model and business case for consideration by the Government

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