eENVplus: a framework to support eEnvironmental services and applications

eENVplus (www.eenvplus.eu) is a ICT-PSP -Pilot A project, started on January 2013. The eENVplus key objective leads to support the implementation of INSPIRE and SEIS, engaging environmental data (many INSPIRE Annex I-II-III Data Themes) managed by the involved national/regional environment agencies and other public and private environmental stakeholders through the integration and harmonisation of existing services. Starting from the results of previous European experiences (funded projects, best practices, EU/national/local experiences) eENVplus integrates existing infrastructures into an operational framework able to overcome cross-border and languages barriers. eENVplus provides not only the ICT infrastructure but also the description and the support how to make this infrastructure operational and profitable through the provision of an organisational model and a tutored training framework. eENVplus interoperable infrastructure provides Members State and Geographic Information Communities with: 1. A comprehensive, open and scalable infrastructure able to integrate existing infrastructures according to the INSPIRE requirements, open standards and interoperable innovative services; 2. A set of innovative added value interoperable web services aiming to facilitate the development of innovative environmental applications; 3. A common Environment Thesaurus Framework, supporting the integration of existing thesauri relevant to the environment via Linked Data and providing added-value services for its integration and exploitation in pilot applications 4. A comprehensive tool-kit for data harmonisation and validation supporting Members States during INSPIRE implementation; 5. A Training Framework to support, with eLearning tools, the development of the necessary capacities and knowledge to keep operational the eENVplus infrastructure. It is intended to implement 9 environmental scenarios in 10 pilots (BE, CZ, EL, FR, HU, IS, IT, PT, SI, SK), in order to offer the actual eENVplus outcomes implementation in a variety of different situations and user needs. The pilots with their scenarios will allow to better streamline the tools available to the project into the main flow of INSPIRE compliance, with evident implications on interoperability among applications, existing or planned. 1. Project objectives