50 million Russians will have access to environmental data

During the Russian Ecological Forum on 11 October, it was reported that 50 million people will become users of the state information system of environmental conditions of the Federal Geoinformation System (FGIS) “Ecomonitoring”. The system will be operated by the company “Russian Environmental Operator”. 

According to Denis Butsaev, General Director of the Russian Environmental Operator, the FGIS “Ecomonitoring” was created to accumulate data from all possible sources of environmental monitoring in Russia. It allows collecting, processing and analysing information, as well as assessing and forecasting the state of the environment under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors. 

In addition, the system should be as transparent and open as possible – after all, all Russian citizens have the right to know about the state of the environment. For them, the system will be presented in the form of convenient services, in particular, in the form of a mobile application. It is planned that the system will cover 250 cities by 2026. The Russian Environmental Operator will closely monitor that the system is constantly working online, providing reliable information and other functions. 

Environmental monitoring will include many components: “Radiation Environment”, “Soil”, “Forest Pathology and Forest Reproduction”, “Hunting Resources and their Habitats”, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Absorption”, “Plant Life and Other Organisms”, “Atmospheric Air”, “Waste Disposal Sites”, “Objects of Negative Impact on the Environment”, “Animal Life”, “Water Bodies”, and “Near-Earth Outer Space”.

“These are not just components that deal with the natural environment, air, water, but also with objects of negative impact. Everything that is listed suggests that the system will be the biggest and largest in terms of the volume of information,” said Alexei Burov, Deputy Director General for Digitalisation of the Russian Environmental Operator.

The digital portal will contain open information on the state of the environment. Federal and regional executive authorities, legal entities and individuals (they will also be users of the system) will supply reliable information. 

Oleg Leonov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly on the Development of Civil Society, Public and Religious Associations, noted the importance of developing compact monitoring posts in residential areas and on the borders of sanitary protection zones. At present, the environmental monitoring system cannot provide data with accuracy “up to the house”, because it is only to be filled with this data. Moreover, all data should be as detailed and reliable as possible. Unfortunately, the existing Roshydromet’s posts cannot solve this problem – they are large and extremely expensive. However, there are other solutions – compact inexpensive posts based on solar batteries, which do not require connection to the power grid. It is enough to install such posts on the roof or wall of the house, and they will work 24/7.

“Environmental monitoring is a public good. Each of us has the right to access environmental data. To air data – especially. But what matters most is the result of using this data – sanctions to the guilty person for breaking the law,” said Rashid Ismailov, Chairman of the Russian Ecological Society. 

Russia already has experience of such open data. Today, a regional environmental monitoring system “Mosecomonitoring” operates in Moscow. It includes observations of the state of atmospheric air, water bodies, soil, green areas, noise levels and dangerous geo-ecological processes. For example, 56 automated stations monitor air conditions around the clock, and Muscovites can check the data obtained online. 

Unsplash / Jacek Dylag  / Nagy Arnold