APIENs has reached a turning point. In late 2025, four years of research funding was secured, in principle, to further develop APIENs. In its earlier iteration, the main focus was on bringing data together – collecting information from a range of existing environmental monitoring networks across the UK to create a unified network of networks on air, soil, vegetation, and freshwater. This foundational work has given us a comprehensive dataset covering multiple sites, habitats and pollutants.
We now envisage a phased approach to reach the overarching aim of demonstrating through research the value of the submission and integration activity. In other words, helping us understand not just what data we have but what it means for environmental monitoring and management across the UK.
The phased program of research aims to:
- identify gaps and opportunities provided by the currently submitted data – how representative and how well covered are air pollutants and habitats across the UK;
- identify potential new sources of data and/or monitoring streams to contribute to an understanding of air pollution impacts on focal habitats where gaps are identified;
- establish new site and data submission templates that satisfy both the statutory duty and stakeholder research and analysis needs;
- raise awareness of APIENs and the synthesized, integrated datasets it comprises, including their strengths, weaknesses and associated uncertainty; and,
- enable greater data analysis and use of submitted data.
Crucially, the design and population of the new site and data submission templates will account for stakeholder needs to the extent that is practicable, while satisfying the statutory duty. One additional anticipated outcome is further enhancement of model approaches through testing against monitored data, but we emphasize the role of APIENs is to integrate monitored datasets.
Importantly, we want the wider community and stakeholders to use the data. The resources we will continue to bring together are designed to support your own analyses, visualisations, and research questions. Whether you’re exploring pollutant patterns, comparing responses to environmental changes within or across habitats, or testing new modelling approaches, we encourage you to engage with the data and share your insights. Together, we can build a clearer, more connected picture of the UK’s environmental health.