Flood Warnings Mapped - Environment Agency

Flood Warnings Mapped - Environment Agency




The Environment Agency are now mapping flood warning locations to a fairly high degree of accuracy. A step in the right direction and giving the public access to this information is way forward.


The main page now gives a overall summary for England and Wales.

Categories are:

• Severe Flood Warning
• Flood Warning
• Flood Watch
• All Clear

Clicking or searching on town/postcode will launch the mapping window where the user can pan and zoom around and see areas which show the actual location with a digitized polygon as the warning area. The mapping seems faster and clearer than a few years ago. Will be very useful when the floods come back. The site is update frequently and serves it's purpose well.

Yet to see a 'Severe Flood Warning' on the map.
You would think a flood warning to be yellow and severe to be red wouldn't you and an all clear be green?


http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31618.aspx

Free Our Flood Mapping!

A recent article on this Mapperz Blog showed OnOneMap Maps (using Google Maps API) was better than the Environment Agency own Online Mapping.
http://mapperz.blogspot.com/2007/06/environment-agency
-adds-pollution-maps.html

But due to the nature of 'public' data the Environment Agency has told OnOneMap to remove this service as the data is their copyright - excuse me but this is UK tax payers money

"We have had to withdraw our popular and innovative flood map layer, ironically and sadly during one of the worst periods of flooding the UK has ever experienced. The Environment Agency claims they have copyright over the information, and despite the fact that tax-payers’ money has paid for it to be collected in the first place, apparently the tax-payer cannot benefit from innovations like our housing and flood map combination.

For more information on the lack of access the British public have to their data, visit The Guardian’s Free Our Data campaign."

Mapperz hoped the Guardian is reading about this!

Yes they have

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2118152,00.html

Free Our Data Please. So we can make use of it and provide useful services to the public - like property mapping. Knowing if your house is 'likely' to flood before buying it.

Environment Agency - Adds Pollution Maps

Environment Agency - Adds Pollution Maps
(as well as Flooding)



You can now select individual polluting gases and their location that can be define and find more information about the substances
example
Carbon Dioxide

Main Sources of Air Pollution

• Air quality and emissions
  Find out how air quality has changed over time, and how emissions of different substances impact on the environment and health.


• Air pollution incidents
  In 2005 154 pollution incidents had a serious impact on air quality in England and Wales, the lowest number on record.


• Acid rain
  Acid rain has been tackled for over a decade with some success.


• Ozone depletion
  Ozone in the upper atmosphere shields the earth from harmful ultra violet (UV) radiation emitted by the sun. Man-made chemicals have damaged this “ozone layer”, allowing more UV radiation to pass through.

Other Sources of Pollution

• Pollution incidents - Pollution incidents such as oil spills or the accidental release of raw sewage can damage the environment, harm wildlife and pose a threat to human health.


• Ozone depletion- Ozone in the upper atmosphere shields the earth from harmful ultra violet (UV) radiation emitted by the sun. Man-made chemicals have damaged this “ozone layer”, allowing more UV radiation to pass through.


• Acid rain - Acid rain has been tackled for over a decade with some success


• Noise - Noise from industry, traffic and homes can annoy, disturb sleep and affect health.


• Light pollution - Light pollution has reduced our ability to view the night sky and causes impacts on wildlife. England is more brightly lit than other European country with the exception of the Netherlands.


• Environmental Crime - Illegal activities can directly harm wildlife or the environment. This section covers breaches of permits and fly tipping.


• Nutrients in rivers, lakes and coastal waters - Nutrients are essential for aquatic life, but high levels can upset ecosystems, create unsightly algal blooms and even threaten our health.


• Fertilisers - Fertilisers must be used with care to avoid pollution.


• Pesticides

And they still deal with flooding. But check your local area - the data and mapping for flooding is a little dated in places.

Comparing Environment Agency 'Mapping' (not data) with OnOneMap

Users prefer ease of use with OnOneMap.