Defra group have put in place the Data Services Platform to make environmental data openly available to a wide range of users.
The more people know about the environment, the better informed will be their actions and decisions that can help safeguard our natural environment, support our food and farming industry and sustain a thriving rural economy.
About the dataset
Datasets available are predominantly in GIS data format and include a range of environmental data. For example, conservation zones, habitat networks, nature reserves and Strategic Opportunity Areas (to name a few).
Accessing the data
The Data Services Platform can be accessed here.
Most data from this service is freely available to all users who access the platform. However, there are certain data which has third party rights which is only available to certain partner organisations or contractors working for Defra on specific projects.
All the data can also be found in the data.gov.uk catalogue.
Using the data
Search the available datasets using the keyword search box on the home page.
Defra’s data feeds ensure you are using the most up to date data, but nearly all data is also available for download in commonly used formats. Much of the data is spatial and can be readily used in GIS applications.
Data is also provided via APIs, built on Linked Data, which are aimed at system and application developers so that it can be integrated within software applications.