ENVIRONMENTAL DATAMANAGEMENT IN ESTONIA

Leo Saare

EEA SEIS country visitNovember 8, 2007

ESTONIAN ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION CENTRE

(EEIC)

• Established on January 1, 1993

• Aim:– to collect, process and publish information

about Estonian nature, state of environment and factors influencing it.

– to provide reliable environmental information for Estonian decision makers as well as wider public and organizations both in Estonia and abroad

Tasks

• Collection, analyzing and publishing of environmental information– SoE reports, thematic reports etc– Estonian NFP for European Environment Agency– National, EU and international data reporting

• Coordinating of State Monitoring Programme• Keeping and developing of Environmental Register

– administrating environmental information systems

• Competent Body of EMAS and EU Eco-Labeling• Administrating of Emissions Trading Registry

Legal basis for data collection• Arhus Convention, 2001

• Public Information Act, (2000) 2007

• Environmental Register Act, 2002

• Environmental Monitoring Act, 2005

• MoE decrees on procedures for national data collection on activities related to air pollution, waste generation and water pollution etc

PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER ACT (i)

• INTEGRATION OF DATABASES: coherent environmental data

• OFFICIAL DATA: data in environmental register is the only official environmental data

• RELIABLE DATA: stop using other data than this in the register for:

• international data exchange• issuing environmental permits• compiling development plans• environmental state assessment etc

PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER ACT (ii)

• PURPOSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER – provide state and local authorities and the public information for:– state of environment– issuing environmental permits– environmental impact assessments– compilation of development plans etc.– environmental restrictions– international environmental data exchange

PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER ACT (iii)

• SOURCE DOCUMENTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE REGISTER :– legislative act (e.g. data of protected natural object)– environmental permit (e.g. waste data)– program (e.g. monitoring data)– report of research or inventory (e.g. data of growing

forest)– planning (e.g. data of recreational areas)– contract (e.g. CITES to a certain extent)

MAINTENANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER

• environmental data in time and space and gives the database a form that enables to use data according to internationally approved principles

• Environmental Register operates by its interlinking mechanisms (information systems) which contain documents, maps, classification, entries, applications, publication, clients, client support and archive etc.

ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER

• Data in the environmental register is public• Everyone has the right to examine public data in the

environmental register free of charge and to download data

• Authorised processor (EEIC) of the register restricts access to the data in the Environmental Register in case:

1)the data is in process;2)the publication of data will endanger public safety, cause

environmental damage or disturb protected species in their habitats;

3)the data includes confidential information on business, industrial and intellectual property;

4)the publication of data is prohibited by law; 5)has been identified that the data is incorrect

QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THE DATA

• EEIC controls if the provided data meet the requirements and returns the data which do not meet. Data provider is obligated to deliver the correct data to the Environmental Register

PUBLICATION OF THE DATA

• EEIC shall publish the public data held in the register in web within ten days

STORING OF THE DATA

• EEIC shall maintain the archives of the environmental register.

• Data shall be retained in the archives for indefinite time.

MAIN OUTPUTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGISTER

• Environmental Register web application• Environmental Indicators web application• Environmental Monitoring webpage• SoE reports, thematic reports etc• National, EU and international environmental

data reporting

FUTURE PLANS

• Develop web application according to user needs – Rise the quality of data– Improve inquiries

• Accessibility to other information systems (eg SEIS)

• Develop geo-database• Implementation of INSPIRE directive in the

environmental data handling

IS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS

http://klis.envir.ee/klis

• Environmental permits of natural resources, waste, water and air

• Integrated environmental permits, packaging recovery certificate, polychlorinated biphenylinventory sheets, consignment notes and handling licences for hazardous waste

• GMOs• CITES species• State Packaging Register

IS OF WASTE DATAhttps://jats.keskkonnainfo.ee/

• Type of waste produced and handled in Estonia

• Quantity of generated and handled waste

• Origin of generated and handled waste

• Data regarding waste handlers

• Waste producers

• Waste brokers

• Waste handling sites

• Transboundary movement of waste

IS OF ESTONIAN NATUREwww.eelis.ee

• Estonian nature conservation areas and protected natural monuments • Imported individuals of introduced species• Key biotopes • The Book of Virgin Nature • Game trophy data • Hunting district data • Habitats and Estonian protected species • Species registered in Estonia • Documents related to protected objects • Place of finding of introduced species• Naturally sensitive areas• Risk areas of environmentally hazardous objects• Groundwater intakes• Surface water intakes• Waterbodies • Marine islands• Waste management facilities• Depositories of radioactive waste• Environment monitoring data

IS OF AIR POLLUTION SOURCEShttps://osis.keskkonnainfo.ee

• data about stationary sources:– emissions of pollutants (by companies, counties,

sectors of economy, total of Estonia)– use of fuels (by counties, total of Estonia)– use of solvents, paints and adhesives

• data about area sources of pollution:– Emissions are calculated by administrative units

(county), on the basis of data from the Statistical Office and emission factors (emission per production/energy unit)

Marine water

Surface water

Groundwater

Water use

State Environmental Register

MoE + County Environmental Departments + State Inspectorate

Estonian-Russian Intergovernmental

Transboundary Water Commission

European Commission

European Environment Agency

Helcom

Output

Estonian Statistical Office Eurostat

Public

IS WATER

FUEL MONITORING DATABASEhttp://kytus.keskkonnainfo.ee

• results of fuel (petrol and diesel) monitoring since 2006 (fuel monitoring itself has been done in Estonia since 2004)

• location of gas stations

• reports of liquid fuel quality to the European Commission

• SOON: monitoring data on light heating oils, heavy fuel oils, biofuels and ship fuel

REGISTER OF PRODUCTS OF CONCERNhttp://proto.envir.ee

• products of concern– produced in Estonia– marketed in Estonia– imported in Estonia– exported from Estonia

• producers of products of concern

• recovery of waste generated from products of concern

• utilisation of waste generated from products of concern

Estonian Environment Information CentreMustamäe tee 3310616 TallinnESTONIA

Phone +372 673 7577Fax +372 673 7599

www.keskkonnainfo.eeinfo@ic.envir.ee

DEMOS

• IS of Environmental Permits. Erkki Meikas, Deputy Director of EEIC

• IS of Estonian Nature. Uudo Timm, Head of Environmental Register Bureau, EEIC

• Estonian Environmental Register. Uudo Timm, Head of Environmental Register Bureau, EEIC