The Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, familiar with ALERC conference goers, was host to another biodiversity data session, this time organised by CIEEM. Accessing and Using Biodiversity Data is a one day course prepared and delivered by the NBN Trust, in association with ALERC, with Paula Lightfoot (NBN Data Access Officer) and Tom Hunt (ALERC National Coordinator) presenting it. The course aims to make sure that biodiversity data is being used correctly, and that users are able to get the most out of it. The topics covered include explanation of the NBN Gateway terms and conditions and data access controls, Local Record Centres and their services and how best to share data.
The course was attended by thirteen people, working for consultancies, local authorities and Natural England, and covering a wide geographical area from Glasgow to Bridgwater and many places in between.
This is the second year that the course has been run and it has proved successful from an LERC point of view as it has given the chance to teach data users, such as consultants, what the constraints are on the use of NBN Gateway data and what services they can expect from an LERC. There is also a chance to discuss the workings of LERCs so that people can see the range of activities that an effective LERC needs to perform and the costs that are associated with these activities.
In the afternoon session there are practical tasks looking at data quality, reporting quality and data submission, all of which will help data users to get more out of data as well as interpreting it in a fair and useful manner.
Written by Tom Hunt