Issue 5 - June 2014

Scotland's environment web
June 13, 2014

Going live!

On 5^th June 2014 the new Scotland's environment website went live.

The relaunch includes the latest state of the environment report for Scotland which provides an assessment to the changes to Scotland's air, land and sea and what's being done towards maintaining or improving them.

There are many other new features on the website, including a new homepage search function which allows you easily to find topics of interest. Other features include:

• Get informed about State of Scotland's environment and dig deep into the data that underpins the assessment.
• Get interactive with different data sets through mapping, analysis and visualisation tools, recommended resources and games.
• Get involved in discussion, monitoring and action.
• Get communicating to be clued up on latest environmental news and share information through social media on environmental topics of interest.
• Map view displays over 160 of the most up-to-date published data sets from different organisations, viewable as any combination of map layers.

Have fun browsing and using all these new features and don't forget to contact us and tell us what you think.

Land Information Search

The Land Information Search is a map based tool that allows you to search for data relating to an area of land that you have identified.

This easy-to-use tool allows you to define your area of interest either by simply placing a point on the map, or by drawing more detailed shapes to better represent your area. The search results will highlight the presence of a range of features such as scheduled monuments, sites of special scientific interest and native woodlands.

The Land Information Search has been designed specifically as a search tool and is not intended to be a map browser. However, it does enable the user to view individual results on the map against their area of interest.

Search results are provided by Scotland's environment's partners, ensuring the use of the most up-to-date, published information.

The tool has been developed for applicants of rural development contracts and/or felling licences, but is likely to be of use to anyone interested in finding out about certain features in a particular location.

Join our social circle

Expand your social circles and tune in to recent updates from the Scotland's environment partners.

Like, share and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. While you are out and about, tag your favourite images on Instagram #ScotEnvironment and the best images will be displayed on the website.

Out and about

The Scotland's environment communications team have been out and about spreading the word about the website and encouraging others to get involved. Highlights were the Edinburgh International Science Festival Science Needs You! event, the Keep Scotland Beautiful Climate challenge event, and demonstration of the Land Information Search tool at the SRUC/SEPA biennial conference.

From Thursday 19^th to Sunday 22^th June 2014, many of Scotland's environment's partners will be represented at the Royal Highland Show, Ingliston, Edinburgh. Find us in the Outdoor Living and Countryside area.

Young people have their say about Scotland's environment

We recently ran a competition which gave young people an opportunity to voice their opinions on environmental issues and to submit their creative solutions. We asked them:

“What needs to change in your local community that will make a difference to your environment and what role can you play in making it happen?”

The competition successfully captured the imagination of young Scots, attracting entries from across the country in an array of styles including posters, blogs, videos, animations and articles. You can view all the entries on the young reporters website.

Competition winners, including the £1000 top prize, will be announced at a prize-giving ceremony at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, on Tuesday 17^th June 2014. 

The day also includes workshops, lunch, and a chance to take part in an interactive question and answer session with Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The event not only celebrates the success of the winners, but also recognises the efforts of all entrants and the support given by teachers, parents and carers.

The competition and event has been supported SEPA, the 2020 Climate Group, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Young Reporters for the Environment, Young Scot and Education Scotland.

Coming soon

Project finder is a new online ‘matchmaking’ service for organisations running projects and for prospective volunteers. It will be launched towards the end of June 2014.

Organisations will be able to create a profile on the system, giving information on who they are and what they do. Potential volunteers can then browse the list of registered projects and filter according to certain criteria. The organisation will then get in touch to discuss the project in more detail and make arrangements for them to take part.

The public discussion toolkit is currently under development and will provide guidance and support to organisations who want to engage the public in discussion about environmental issues.

New data analysis tools are also being developed to view, analyse and interpret data on climate trends, bathing waters and the native woodland survey for Scotland.

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