Abstract
The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has monitored ecological change in Great Britain (GB) since 1978. The task has been undertaken using a stratified sampling scheme working with a 1 km square as the sample unit. In more recent years, scientific researchers at ITE have been working closely with the policy-makers of the United Kingdom Department of the Environment. The presentation of information to policy advisors and planners was a component within a large project investigating the ecological consequences of land-use change. A simple PC-based decision support system was developed during the project and subsequently has been expanded to produce a marketable product. The system, called the Countryside Information System (CIS), presents and links information at national, regional and thematic levels along with qualifying data describing accuracy and appropriateness of use (i.e., metadata). An integral part of the CIS is the ITE Land Classification, which divides GB into 32 environmental land classes; all 250 000 squares have been classified. The classification allows sampled data to be presented and, as the co-ordinate system is widely used in GB, it allows census datasets to be linked and compared. CIS has been described as a Geographical Information System, but the classification, data held within the system, and the use of metadata to assist in interpretation of results make the system much more decision-support oriented. Indeed, government departments have been involved in directing the development and are now starting to use the system to answer parliamentary questions and formulate, assess and monitor environmental policy. The CIS is an open system, running on a standard PC in Microsoft Windows. Tools for loading and editing new datasets (both sample and census) are incorporated in the suite of programs. The Windows environment and users comments during development have produced a system with an intuitive feel, removing some of the overhead of acquiring specialised technical skills before being able to operate a system. This paper describes the CIS and presents examples of its applications.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
BarrC.J., HowardD.C., BunceR.G.H., GillespieM.K. and HallamC.J.: 1991, ‘Changes in hedgerows in Britain between 1984 and 1991’, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands, UK, 13 pp.
BarrC.J., BunceR.G.H., ClarkeR.T., FullerR.M., FurseM. T., GillespieM.K., GroomG.B., HallamC.J., HornungM., HowardD.C. and NessM.J.: 1993, ‘Countryside Survey 1990 Main Report’, Countryside 1990 Series, Volume II, Dep. Environ., London, UK, 174 pp.
Bunce, R.G.H., Barr, C.J. and Whittaker, H.A.: 1983, ‘A stratification system for ecological sampling’, In: R. M. Fuller (ed.), Ecological Mapping from Ground, Air and Space, ITE Symposium No. 10, Grange-over-Sands, UK, pp. 34–46.
BunceR.G.H., HowardD.C., ClarkeR.T. and LaneA.M.J.: 1991, ‘The ITE land classification: classification of all 1 km squares in GB’, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands, UK, 74 pp.
BunceR.G.H., HowardD.C., HallamC.J., BarrC.J. and BenefieldC.B.: 1993, ‘Ecological consequences of land use change’, Countryside 1990 Series, Volume I, Dep. Environ., London, UK, 129 pp.
FullerR.M., BrownN.J., UllyettJ.M., SandersM.E., GroomG.B., HowardD.C. and GillespieM.K.: 1993, ‘Countryside Survey 1990-mapping the land cover of Great Britain using Landsat imagery: a demonstrator project in remote sensing, final report on pattern analysis and GIS’, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Abbots Ripton, UK, 29 pp.
HarveyD.R., BarrC.J., BellM., BunceR.G.H., EdwardsD., ErringtonA.J., JollansJ.L., McClintockJ.H., ThompsonA.M.M. and TranterR.B.: 1986, ‘Countryside implications for England and Wales of possible changes in CAP’, Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Reading UK, 313 pp.
HillM.O., BunceR.G.H. and ShawM.W.: 1975, ‘Indicator species analysis, a divisive polythetic method of classification, and its application to a survey of native pinewoods in Scotland’, Journal of Ecology 63, 597–613.
HowardD.C., BunceR.G.H., JonesM. and Haines YoungR.: 1994, ‘The development of the Countryside Information System’, Countryside 1990 Series, Volume IV, Dep. Environ., London, UK, 55 pp.
StottA.: 1994, ‘The Countryside Information System’, In: Countryside Recreation Network News, Vol. II, University of Cardiff, UK, pp. 6–9.
SpragueR. and WatsonH.J.: 1993, Decision Support Systems, Putting Theory into Practice, Prentice Hall, Englewood-Cliffs, NJ, 437 pp.
Wadsworth, R.M.: 1992, ‘Software implementation of a decision support system for land use planning’, In: M.C. Whitby (ed.), Land Use Change: Causes and Consequences, ITE Symposium No. 27, London, UK.
WyattB.K., Greatorex DaviesN., BunceR.G.H., FullerR.M. and HillM.O.: 1994, ‘Comparison of land cover definitions’, Countryside 1990 Series, Volume III, Dep. Environ., London, UK, 131 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Howard, D.C., Bunce, R.G.H. The countryside information system: A strategic-level decision support system. Environ Monit Assess 39, 373–384 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396156
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396156