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The Environmental Information Data Centre

There is a pressing need for greater knowledge of how to manage scarce environmental resources in a sustainable and integrated manner. The Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC) has been developed to address this fundamental requirement in support of the whole CEH Science Strategy. The primary objective of the EIDC is to provide researchers (both internal ands external to CEH) with access to the coordinated data resources and informatics tools required to deal with complex, multidisciplinary environmental questions. The specific objectives are:

  • To ensure long-term security and access to CEH environmental data
  • To enable efficient use of CEH’s distributed data storage and analysis infrastructure
  • To allow easier combination of CEH data
  • To enable use of ecological and hydrological concepts in exploration and selection of data
  • To ensure close linkage of science requirements and EIDC development and activities
  • To build corporate capabilities in intellectual property rights, licensing and data legislation compliance

Who uses our outputs?

EIDC is bringing together CEH’s unique and diverse data holdings, giving CEH and other researchers access to the coordinated data resources and informatics tools needed to find answers to complex, multidisciplinary environmental questions.

CEH's data can also be used by researchers and policy-makers to answer the environmental questions raised in the implementation of legislation (e.g. the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, the EU Habitats Directive, the EU Water Directive and the proposed Soils Directive).

Data centres

Some of CEH's major data holdings, and websites which host data centres, are listed below.

Monitoring activities

There are currently more than 180 active monitoring sites across Great Britain in which CEH is involved. These include: 88 active lowland sites and 44 upland sites, with 10 which cross this divide; and 33 freshwater active field sites and 130 terrestrial sites.

Many broad habitat types are represented – forest and heaths more so than wetlands, coastal areas, linear features and lowland lakes.

For more on CEH's monitoring activities, please click here.