Abstract
Public authorities that collect data on the environment increasingly offer online public access to information, but they do not always consider by whom such information is used and for what purposes. And where they do, demand may not be homogenous or sufficiently known, thus adding to the difficulties of which information should be presented in what ways. Here we discuss the main issues in the process of supplying online environmental information to unknown demand, as identified by interviewees from both sides of online environmental information supply. Our focus is on river level information collected and presented by the main Scottish water regulator. Two main areas came to the fore: liability of the supplier regarding consistency and quality of the provided information; and interpretation, related to discrepancies between science-based expert and layperson understandings. In light of the new societal role that this regulator aspires to – that is, replacing ‘command and control’ regulation with ‘command and covenant’ stewardship – this case study offers insight into the two areas proved key to institutional decision-making about environmental data display, thereby generating new insight into the dynamics of a digital society.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 245-252 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Scottish Geographical Journal |
| Volume | 131 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| Early online date | 26 Jan 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Oct 2015 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- communication
- information governance
- sensor network
- dynamic data
- user group profiling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Earth-Surface Processes
Cite this
Supply of Online Environmental Information to Unknown Demand : The Importance of Interpretation and Liability Related to a National Network of River Level Data. / Arts, Koen; Ioris, Antonio A R; MacLeod, Christopher J A; Han, Xiwu; Sripada, Somayajulu; Braga, Joao R Z; Van der Wal, René.
In: Scottish Geographical Journal, Vol. 131, No. 3-4, 02.10.2015, p. 245-252.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Supply of Online Environmental Information to Unknown Demand
T2 - The Importance of Interpretation and Liability Related to a National Network of River Level Data
AU - Arts, Koen
AU - Ioris, Antonio A R
AU - MacLeod, Christopher J A
AU - Han, Xiwu
AU - Sripada, Somayajulu
AU - Braga, Joao R Z
AU - Van der Wal, René
N1 - The research described here is supported by the award made by the RCUK Digital Economy programme to the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub; award reference: EP/G066051/1. It has been ethically considered within the University of Aberdeen's Framework for Research Ethics and Governance.
PY - 2015/10/2
Y1 - 2015/10/2
N2 - Public authorities that collect data on the environment increasingly offer online public access to information, but they do not always consider by whom such information is used and for what purposes. And where they do, demand may not be homogenous or sufficiently known, thus adding to the difficulties of which information should be presented in what ways. Here we discuss the main issues in the process of supplying online environmental information to unknown demand, as identified by interviewees from both sides of online environmental information supply. Our focus is on river level information collected and presented by the main Scottish water regulator. Two main areas came to the fore: liability of the supplier regarding consistency and quality of the provided information; and interpretation, related to discrepancies between science-based expert and layperson understandings. In light of the new societal role that this regulator aspires to – that is, replacing ‘command and control’ regulation with ‘command and covenant’ stewardship – this case study offers insight into the two areas proved key to institutional decision-making about environmental data display, thereby generating new insight into the dynamics of a digital society.
AB - Public authorities that collect data on the environment increasingly offer online public access to information, but they do not always consider by whom such information is used and for what purposes. And where they do, demand may not be homogenous or sufficiently known, thus adding to the difficulties of which information should be presented in what ways. Here we discuss the main issues in the process of supplying online environmental information to unknown demand, as identified by interviewees from both sides of online environmental information supply. Our focus is on river level information collected and presented by the main Scottish water regulator. Two main areas came to the fore: liability of the supplier regarding consistency and quality of the provided information; and interpretation, related to discrepancies between science-based expert and layperson understandings. In light of the new societal role that this regulator aspires to – that is, replacing ‘command and control’ regulation with ‘command and covenant’ stewardship – this case study offers insight into the two areas proved key to institutional decision-making about environmental data display, thereby generating new insight into the dynamics of a digital society.
KW - communication
KW - information governance
KW - sensor network
KW - dynamic data
KW - user group profiling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84937529814&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14702541.2014.978809
DO - 10.1080/14702541.2014.978809
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84937529814
VL - 131
SP - 245
EP - 252
JO - Scottish Geographical Journal
JF - Scottish Geographical Journal
SN - 1470-2541
IS - 3-4
ER -