Natural England makes GI datasets available under Open Government Licence - Directions Magazine

“From the 1st April 2012 Natural England has made its publically available Geographic Information datasets available under the Open Government Licence. This means that datasets about areas of significance for the natural environment such as our protected site boundaries, habitat inventories, open access land and scheme agreements are now made available under a perpetual licence for commercial and non-commercial reuse. The Open Government Licence is designed to allow anyone - businesses, individuals, charities and community groups - to re-use public sector information without having to pay or get specific permission. It is designed to ensure everyone benefits from government information published under the UK Government’s  transparency agenda. We are now able to use the licence, as we’ve secured copyright exemptions from Ordnance Survey under the Public Sector Mapping Agreement. Details of our datasets and the licence are available here. This change means that our datasets can be used in services such as Google Earth and in your own websites, services and applications without restrictions so long as data isn’t used in a misleading way and that you make a link to the licence on our website. We would welcome feedback and thoughts on how this will change the way our data can be used. Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public. [1] We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved. [2] We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation. [3] We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland. [4] We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats. [5] We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.”