Sharing Environmental Assessment Knowledge

(1)

Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge

Office of EPA Rodney Nowrojee September 2010

Rodney Nowrojee

Manager Spatial Services, Office of EPA

Introduction

Sharing Environmental Assessment

Knowledge

(2)

Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge

Who are the EPA?

• An independent authority of 5

members

• Supported by 100 Office of EPA staff

• Using the power of the E.P. Act 1986

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)

• EPA recommends, Minister Approves

About the EPA

Proposal by proponent

Initial Assessment by

by Office of EPA

Formal Assessment by

EPA

Approval by Minister

(3)

Jurisdiction of EPA

• Whole of WA, land, water, air

• Everything living in, on or under

it.

Structure of OEPA

• Assessment Function

• Marine Ecosystems Expertise

• Terrestrial Ecosystems Expertise

• Policy

• Spatial Analysis\ GIS

About the EPA

Land: 2 529 875 sq km

Marine: 115 740 sq km

Total: 2 645 615 sq km

OEPA has about 100

staff so that is roughly

26 456 sq km each.

(4)

Role of GIS in EPA

• 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 EPA

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)

How GIS and spatial analysis is used in the OEPA

About the EPA

(6)

Example 1: Discovering and advising on useful data

(7)

Example 2: Proximity Analysis for Environmental

Considerations

(8)

Example 3: Checking spatial aspects of proposals and

conditions

(9)

Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge

Example 4: Depicting the ‘Big Picture’

About the EPA

(10)

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.

Who and what is happening?

Currently there is a Ministerial Taskforce investigating a

conceptual model and business case. The taskforce is

chaired by the EPA Chairman, and includes

representatives of government, private industry and

NGO

(11)

Definitions

We see these elements funnel through the

Knowledge

People

Document

s

Text

Databas

e

Spatial

Data

Referral and

Assessment of

Proposals

Cumulative Impact

Assessment

Regional

Assessment

State of Environment

Reporting

Condition

Implementation

Reporting

Strategic Environmental

Assessment

Environmental Assessment

(12)

Where will the knowledge come from?

i) Generated by assessments:

Pre-referral e.g.

field

surveys

During EPA 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)

Generated by assessments - created by the proponent

Information Types

e.g. Species Observations

e.g. Mangrove Mapping

(14)

Generated by assessments – spatial record of decisions

Information Types

(15)

Generated by assessments - post approval (monitoring, management and

research)

Information Types

(16)

Relevant reference information - existing knowledge-bases

Information Types

(17)

Relevant reference information – environmental assets

Information Types

(18)

Relevant reference information – contextual information

Information Types

(19)

•

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

Pre – Referral

Used | Captured

Field Surveys

Proposal Footprint

Decision Footprint NA NA

Monitoring/Research NA NA

EPA Assessment

Used |

Captured

Field Surveys

Proposal Footprint

Decision Footprint NA NA

EPA Report

Field Surveys

Proposal Footprint

Decision Footprint

Ministerial Report

Field Surveys

Proposal Footprint

Decision Footprint

Post Approval

Field Surveys

Proposal Footprint

Decision Footprint

Monitoring/Research

Used

Captured

(21)

Functional Needs

Create

Collect

Organise

Store

Analyse

Present

Communicate

Custodianship

Governance

Funding

Forms of Knowledge

Functions

Forms of Environmental

Knowledge

People

Documents

Text

Databa

se

Spatial

Data

Referral & Assessment

of Proposals

Cumulative Impact

Assessment

Regional

Assessment

State of Environment

Reporting

Condition

Implementation

Reporting

Strategic

Environmental

Assessment

Environmental

Assessment

(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

SEAK Objective

(24)

• 7 workshops over 4 weeks

• Representatives from Industry, Government,

Environmental Consultants

Workshops

Function

Definition

Create

Aspects and issues related to observing the environment and electronically recording

those observations, interpretations or models and their data standards

Collect

Aspects and issues related to technical methods of gathering digital environmental data

from many sources

Organise

Aspects and issues related to the organisational arrangement of data from many sources

into useful compilations, collections or forms

Analyse and Present

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

Store and Communicate

Aspects and issues related to the physical housing of digital data and how to distribute

and connect it to many audiences

Custodianship

Aspects and issues related to ownership and fair representation of contributing origins of

environmental data

Governance and Funding

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)

• 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)

Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge

Model

Management

Co-ordinates and manages all

functions

and personnel

SEAK Council

Provides strategic direction and

governance

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

Create

Creation of

assessment

knowledge in a

common format

Collect

Receive and

create digital

versions of

assessment

knowledge

Store

Physical

housing of the

assessment

knowledge

Organise

Logical arrangement

and cataloguing of

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

Governance

Functions

Business

Functions

Operational

Functions

(27)

Example of a list

Type Name Custodian Point, line, polygon, raster Update frequency Currency Coverage Scale Completeness Positional Accuracy

Western Swamp Tortoise Policy Boundary (2003) EPA Goldfields Residential Policy Boundary (2003) EPA Kwinana Atmosphere Policy Boundary (1999) EPA Swan Canning Policy Boundary (1998) EPA SW Ag Zone Wetlands Policy Boundary (1998) EPA SW Ag Zone Wetlands Register Boundary (1998) EPA SCP Lakes Policy Boundary (1992) EPA SCP Lakes Register Boundary (1992) EPA Peel Harvey Policy Boundary (1992) EPA Gnangara Mound Policy Boundary (1992) EPA Cockburn Sound SEP Area (2004)

EPA Cockburn Sound SEP Eco Protection Levels (2004) EPA Cape Range Province (1999) EPA Natural Areas (2003) EPA Tropical Arid Zone Mangroves (2001) EPA Lake Clifton Catchment (1998) EPA Bush Forever Study Area DPI Public Drinking Water Supply Areas DOW Agreement to Reserve Sites AGRIC Proposed Conservation Reserve Sites (Redbook) DEP Proposed National Parks RFA CAMBA DPI JAMBA DPI Jandakot groundwater ecological maintanence areas DOW Ramsar Wetlands DEC DEC Managed Land DEC DEC Marine Management Areas DEC DEC Candidate Marine Conservation Areas (Wilson Report) DEC MRS, GBRS and PRS Regionally Open Space DPI Commonwealth Marine Areas DEH Areas agreed for Offset

Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database DEH Fitzgerald River Biosphere Reserve UNESCO Northwest Shelf ecological protection areas DEC

Policy/Admin/Legal

Perth Coastal Waters Environmental Protection Levels

Potentially locally significant natural areas PBP Threatened Ecological Communities DEC Priority Ecological Communities DEC Declared Rare Flora DEC Priority Rare Flora DEC Declared Rare Fauna DEC Priority Rare Fauna DEC Threatened and Poorly Reserved Plant Communities DEP Bush Forever Sites DPI Directory of Important Wetlands DEH Wild Rivers WRC Lakes EPP Register EPA

Environmental Assets

Geomorphic CCW Wetlands DEC Floristic Sites DEC Soil Reference Sites AGRIC Water monitoring Bores DOW Stream Gauges DOW WARMS Sites AGRIC Air Quality Monitoring Sites DEC NPI Monitoring Facilites DOE

Scientific Assets

WIN sites DOW Aboriginal Heritage Sites

DIA Hiking Trails DEC World Heritage Areas DEH Commonwealth Heritage Sites DEH National Heritage Sites

Register National Estate

DEH Australian Heritage Comission Sites DEC Local Government Heritage Sites

Cultural/Social/Heritage Assets

Historic Shipwrecks DEC Acid Sulphate Soil Risk DEC Salinity Risk

Caves/Karst Systems

Rivers (with 200m buffer) DLI Lakes DLI Banded Ironstone Formations

Forshores Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

DEC Ecological Linkages DEC Apiary Sites DEC Wetlands (other than Geomorphic CCW's) DLI and DEC Surfacewater ecological water requirement areas DOW Groundwater ecological water requirement areas

DOW Remnant Vegetation NVIS Mangroves

Riparian Vegetation

Vulnerable Natural Features/Important Landforms

Seagrass Cane Toad Sightings

Floodplains DOW Contaminated Sites DEC Fault Lines DOIR Sea Level Rise areas

Fire Risk DEC Cyclone Paths

Cyclone Intensity and Frequency DEWHA Areas of Dieback Infestation

Threats/Risks

Mosquito Breeding Zones State Planning Schemes (MRS, GBRS, PRS)

DPI Local Planning Schemes (TPS)

Geology DOIR Soil Type DAF Landscape Mapping AGWA Vegetation Type NVIS Apparent Naturalness DEH Biophysical Naturalness DEH, RFA Species Richness RFA Wilderness Quality RFA Salinity Risk

Erosion Risk

Landuse ALUM Marine Benthic Habitat Mapping DEC Catchment Condition

Descriptive Characteristics

(28)

Shared Environmental Assessment Knowledge

(29)

Example of a compilation

(30)

Example of a compilation

Example 2: Compilation of various

concepts to present a value system

(31)

Office of EPA Rodney Nowrojee September 2010

Conclusion

Summary

• EPA 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

(32)