This report presents the findings of an online survey on the use of spatial data to produce environmental reports conducted by the European Commission Joint Research Centre in 2009. The objectives of the survey were twofold: on the one hand, to understand how easy it is for practitioners to obtain the spatial data they need to carry out Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and/or Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and on the other hand, to provide information to the European Commission (EC) on the developments made in the use of spatial data to undertake EIAs and SEAs. The 2009 survey represents, in fact, an update of a similar survey conducted in 2002 by DG Environment and provides where relevant a comparison of results.
A significant increase in the number of respondents was registered since the original survey, however it should be noted that the sample does not represent all practitioners that carry out EIA/SEA reports in Europe. Nevertheless, the results give an indication of the trends and problems in the market of EIA and/or SEA. The main outcome of the survey is that practitioners still face problems in using spatial data for the preparation of environmental reports. Issues mainly relate to finding and accessing data of the quality needed for the purpose. As a consequence, there is an increase in cost and time to produce environmental reports. The estimate of such additional burden is quantified as well as potential savings that could be achieved if problems connected with the use of spatial data were removed.JRC.DDG.H.6-Spatial data infrastructure
