Digital EIA

环境影响评估受欧盟/英国立法监管，是开发、基础设施、林业、农业和其他项目设计演变和审批过程的重要组成部分。其目的是确保在作出决定之前了解提案的环境和社会影响，并帮助公众参与决策。谘询公众意见是环评的一项主要内容，环评程序的方法和结果载於环境报告书内，该份环境报告书是一份冗长的技术文件，内含各种难以浏览和阅读的数据，令公众参与环评程序变得复杂。还需要提供专家系统的非技术性摘要，尽管这确实提供了访问数据有限的高级别摘要。一旦提交，其中包含的数据就可以向公众提供，但这些数据不是标准化的或机器可读的(例如，无标签的.pdf文件、图形形式的数据表等)。这意味着，编制环境科学标准非常耗时，并对公众有效参与决策过程构成了进一步的障碍。此外，数字技术没有被用来捕获数据或提供高效有效的方法来生产ES--落后于其他行业利用技术来提高生产率的步伐(例如，Proptech的金融科技)。目前，咨询公司和平台提供商正在试验新的解决方案，以使ES更具可读性和吸引力。然而，这些并没有使底层数据变得可访问--在大多数情况下，数据仍然隐藏在光滑的界面或图形后面。随着越来越多的组织开发不同的方法来展示ESS，不同的用户(开发人员、当地社区、规划顾问等)变得越来越重要可以访问来自权威来源的基础原始数据和信息。这将使投资于新的软件解决方案，以更有效和高效的方式收集、分析和展示环境信息。数字环境影响评估项目旨在了解提供生成和托管环境影响评估所需数据的国家平台的可行性。我们将：*研究支撑用户需求的基础，并探索新的数字环境影响评估的可行性和经济影响；*进行用户研究，获取收集和评估相关数据所需的结果；*探索转变该行业所需的相关变化；*开发展示拟议平台功能的原型；*与主要的国家和监管利益攸关方协商，为实施数字环境影响评估平台制定路线图；以及*概述开启其进入市场的路线所需的立法和技术改革。

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.