Digital EIA

EIAs are regulated by EU/UK legislation and are a crucial part of the design evolution and approval process for development, infrastructure, forestry, agriculture and other projects. Its purpose is to ensure that the environmental and social effects of proposals are understood prior to decisions being taken and to aid public participation in decision-making. Consultation with the public is a key feature of an EIA.

The methods and outcomes of the EIA process are reported in an Environmental Statement (ES), which is a lengthy technical document containing a mix of data which is difficult to navigate, read and complicates public engagement in the process. A non-technical summary of the ES is also required, although this does provide a high-level summary with limited access to data. Once submitted, data contained within is publicly available, however it is not standardised or machine-readable (e.g. unlabelled .pdf documents, data-tables as graphics etc.).

This means that ESs are time-consuming to produce and present a further barrier to effective public participation in the decision-making process. Furthermore, digital technology is not being exploited to capture data or deliver efficient and effective ways of producing ESs -- falling behind the pace of other industries harnessing technology to drive productivity (e.g. FinTech, PropTech).

Currently, consultants and platform providers are trialing new solutions to make the ES more readable and engaging. However, these are not making the underlying data accessible - in most cases the data remains hidden behind slick interfaces or graphics. As more organisations develop different approaches to presenting ESs it becomes increasingly important that different users (developers, local communities, planning consultants etc.) can access the underlying raw data and information from an authoritative source. This will enable investment in new software solutions that gather, analyse and present environmental information in a more effective and efficient way.

The Digital EIA project seeks to understand the feasibility of a national platform that provides data required to generate and host ESs. We will:

* Examine the underpinning user-needs and explore the feasibility and economic impact of new Digital ESs;
* Carry out user-research, capturing the required outcomes for collecting and assessing the relevant data;
* Explore relevant changes needed to transform the sector;
* Develop a prototype that demonstrates the functionality of the proposed platform;
* Consult with key national and regulatory stakeholders to develop a roadmap for the implementation of a Digital EIA platform; and
* Outline legislative and technical changes required to unlock its route-to-market.