About the data integration

What kinds of data and information are integrated?

The spectrum of data and information spectrum inthe umwelt.info catalogue consists of administrative and non-administrative knowledge related to the environment and nature conservation. Relevant knowledge includes metadata, services, time series of measurements, reports, research results, expert opinions, educational materials and information on legal and administrative regulations, funding programs or procedures of the environmental and nature conservation administrations.

Currently, we do not use a strict definition of what knowledge is environmentally relevant. In case of doubt, we consider the assessment of data providers and a case-by-case decision whether to include the information. However, an umwelt.info specific delimitation of the subject area is planned and will be orientated towards current environmental and nature conservation issues. Our mission is to make the necessary knowledge visible.

As part of our recent work, a total of over 150 data sources were integrated into the metadata catalogue. Data sources are publicly available websites, which can offer among other things domain specific data and information services. Potentially, an institution can provide several data sources. Currently, the majority of these data sources come from the federal and state environmental administrations.

Including non-administrative information and indexing data sources from various institutions enriches the umwelt.info catalogue. At the moment, the editorial work is focusing on data-related topics concerning the environmental perspective of water. Over 30 sources of information and data on groundwater measurements were integrated for the first umwelt.info map application (German).

Can I contact umwelt.info directly?

Yes, especially if you have open data and information that are related to the environment and nature conservation. We welcome your initiative, if you are interested indexing this content through us. Get in touch via umwelt.info@uba.de any time.

Will my data be integrated?

We aim for  300 integrated data sources by the end of 2025. We prioritize data sources based on the following criteria:

• Relevant for the preparation of editorial articles: depending on topic, we enrich existing data from public authorities with data sources from science and civil society
• all sources from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the Federal Environment Agency (⁠UBA), the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN⁠), the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) and the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS)

Are there requirements for data and information to be integrated into umwelt.info?

There are no special requirements for the integration of data and information on umwelt.info. In fact, umwelt.info is aiming for recording and representing as much knowledge relating to the environment and nature conservation as possible, regardless of the available format. This low threshold should make sharing knowledge as uncomplicated as possible for data providers. Of course, the integration becomes easier if data and information is provided in a structured or machine-readable manner. Furthermore, information is easier to find on umwelt.info, if each entry in a database, map or website can be referred to with its own URL. Additionally, we add structured attributes, like licenses or georeferences from non-machine-readable offers if available. 

Which metadata format is used?

We do not require a specific metadata standard. Furthermore, umwelt.info does not aim to establish a new one. The goal is to be able to process all existing formats. 

Our metadata scheme is loosely oriented on DCAT-AP.de (German), which allows us to adequately prepare and uniformly represent data and information. As such we also map structures and values that are not required as part  of the open data reporting chain. This flexibility allows us to add additional attributes at any time to the metadata scheme at any time if necessary.

Do I have to provide an application programming interface (API) for umwelt.info?

An API allows an easy re-use of data. Ideally, it is based on an open standard and is documented in machine-readable format. However, a documentation is not a necessary prerequisite to integrate your information into our metadata catalogue. 

We endeavour to integrate all environmentally relevant data and make them searchable in a structured manner. In accordance with our internal metadata schema, we use so-called harvesters for retrieving metadata via APIs, scraping of websites or crawling of directory structures to capture data and information. 

If you are currently considering making your data available via an API, we can offer some advice based on our experience of integrating various data sources. 

How exactly does the data integration process work? What effort do I have to make?

The aim is to restrict the integration process to a bare minimum for the data and information providers. A structured process ensures the greatest possible efficiency for everyone involved. The process comprises four steps:

1. Initial contact: umwelt.info will send information about the planned integration and a prepared list of publicly accessible data and information by e-mail.
2. Verification through the providing institution: Review and revision of the list of offers. The list should contain all environmentally relevant data and information of your institution and all the necessary information required for indexing. It is the central tool to plan the data integration process.
3. Curation meeting: The meeting is crucial to discuss all organisational details. The focus is on the content of the respective sources, available application programming interfaces, contacts and future projects relevant to umwelt.info. Further steps and all necessary communication flows should be discussed as the data integration should be done by arrangement and support of the data providers. At the same time, it is important to minimise the workload for both, umwelt.info and the providing institution. The meeting also offers time for further questions, suggestions, needs and concerns.
4. Information integration through scraping, harvesting, crawling or manual entries: On a case to case basis, data provider need to assist regarding technical and editorial aspects. For example, harvesting intervals are coordinated to prevent overloading server of data providers. Technical staff of data providers are always welcome to participate directly during the integration via OpenCoDE GitLab (Code in English) - however participation is not mandatory.

Can I get support from umwelt.info to digitise my analogue data?

No, umwelt.info does not have the necessary personnel capacity or the mandate to digitise analogue databases and information. Nevertheless, advisory support for the open provision of this content can be given.