Frequently Asked Questions

The standard turnaround time for a data search report is up to 10 working days from submission of the request or written confirmation to proceed after receiving a quote.

We offer a fast track service, which is dependent on staff availability to carry out the request and usually the reports are delivered within 1 or 2 working days. There is an option in the online form for this service, which also details the premium that is added to the standard price. The premium is not charged if we fail to deliver the report by the specified timeframe.

For any questions that you cannot find answers to here or in our webpages, you can contact eCounability at enquiries@ecountability.co.uk. Please note that eCountability does not offer support via telephone.

Site surveys are usually commissioned by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). LPAs then share the data with GiGL for incorporation into our datasets. Designated species and habitat data that we hold for a particular site are included in the relevant sections of the data search report. Relevant information can also be found in a site’s citation. Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) survey reports can sometimes be found in the LPA’s website or you could contact them to check if they can provide any further information. More information on our habitat data and the London surveys of the 80s, 90s, 00s, can be found in our website here.

Our online form calculates the cost of your request based on your requirements. If you have any special requirements or you need a quote before a data search is delivered, please choose the appropriate option in the form. A member of eCountability’s team will then contact you, usually within 10 working days, with the quote. Please note, that written confirmation is required that you would like to commission the data search report after receiving a quote before we proceed with delivering the report to you.

As a community interest company, GiGL uses surplus and assets for the public good, specifically for the good of the community it was set up to serve. We invest in systems, staff and premises to make GiGL a more viable enterprise, and what we do of greater value to stakeholders. Charging also enables us to provide free services, at our discretion, to the public, students, voluntary organisations and staffed organisations with a lower turnover than ours. In accordance with national guidance, GiGL does not attach a financial value to the data it manages, nor does it pay for or provide a reduced fee in return for access to data from third parties. None of the charges are based on any real or implied financial value of the data that we provide access to on behalf of the data owners.

The charges for the data search reports are administrative charges and charges towards data stewardship (i.e. quality assurance, collation, secure archiving, communication, management) which includes all the work involved after data collection to make the data available to end users. For more information about the work behind the scenes read our GiGLer article.

The online request form includes a section where details for sending an invoice to you can be completed. The invoice will be emailed to the same address the report is sent to, or you can provide an alternative email address in the request form. The invoice will be emailed from enquiries@ecountability.co.uk (or noreply@remailer.freeagentcentral.com) email address . If you have any questions about the invoicing you can contact eCountability at accounts@ecountability.co.uk or enquiries@ecountability.co.uk.

Mostly not. The species tables show interpreted data for the search area, with one row per species summarising how many records of that species are in the GiGL database, the distance and bearing of the nearest record, and the most recent record. The confidential species table does not include any geographic information and acts as an alert for that search area. The invasive species table does include species grid reference. If you take any action on invasive species reported in the search area, London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI) would like to know about it. A dedicated LISI recording spreadsheet can also be found here.

Some species records are considered sensitive and therefore appear in the confidential records table. This species list has been created through collaboration with experts and contains species for which the general release of data could pose a risk to the species or its habitat. We can provide more information about them. If you email us (at datasearches@gigl.org.uk) a detailed site plan we can do a presence/absence search for that record/ species in the site.

The data search reports gather data from a large range of sources and types, these are separated into species and site data. The species dataset is an extensive database of species records held by GiGL. It spans the whole of Greater London and includes London Natural History Society (LNHS) areas outside of the Greater London boundaries. The species database holds records from a wide variety of sources such as the LNHS, non-government organisations, local and regional statutory agencies, members of the public, consultants and some recording apps.

GiGL’s site data have a wide range of sources. Open Space data are based on a long-running survey of spaces throughout the capital, updated with available data from London’s Local Planning Authorities and information submitted by recorders and the general public. Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and proposed SINC data are provided by Local Planning Authorities, who are responsible for their designation, and are compiled into GiGL’s London-wide dataset. GiGL works with the London Geodiversity Partnership to manage data related to the capital’s geodiversity sites. Habitat data are based on the most comprehensive surveys of London’s habitats which are supplemented with data from our partners, land owners, land managers and from ecological consultants. More information on each dataset can be found in GiGL’s data guide.

Records of bat sightings are presented in the report if found in the search area. If you require further information about bat sightings you can contact the London Bat Group directly: enquires@londonbats.org.uk or records@londonbats.org.uk.

In rare occasions data might be missing or appear as if they are not quite as accurate. There is a number of reasons why this could be the case. For example, a site might be missing if the responsible authority (usually a Local Planning Authority) has not sent us their updated data, the site has not been officially adopted yet or we are waiting for confirmation that a site should be removed from our datasets. Please do get in touch with us at datasearches@gigl.org.uk and we will investigate further.

Yes, we can do custom reports. Common custom reports involve a different radius for the search or linear sites. There are different options in our online form but if what you are looking for is not listed select “other” and provide more details. eCountability will then be in touch with a quote for the custom report.

Yes, we often do searches along features such as railway lines. The system will still treat this type of a search like the radius search where the distance and bearing will still be expressed from a point in the middle of the linear search area.

Our charges cover a very small contribution to the ongoing costs of data stewardship and maintenance of the systems required to turn large datasets into a written report. The costs to clients of a report with reduced content will be the same as a full report, so we share everything that we know about a search area in order that our clients can focus on the information they need on receipt of the report.

The current format of our reports and the information in them was initially developed through collaboration with a small group of our clients. Subsequent changes have been made in response to broadening the focus of our investment in data stewardship, which has enabled us to present additional data and information that are useful to the intended end uses of the reports. In response to feedback from our recent client survey, we have started providing the species tables in the PDF report as a separate Excel spreadsheet to enable further analysis, and now provide the maps separately to make cross referencing between the information in the report and the maps it pertains to much easier.

We still provide the report in PDF format rather than in GIS due to various licence terms, and because the majority of the content is not suitable for representing spatially. We digitise site-based data (designated sites, habitats, open space etc.) using Ordnance Survey MasterMap to ensure the outputs and related analysis are as precise as possible. Whilst this ensures a high quality output, it unfortunately means that we cannot provide the data to anyone that does not have a licence to use the Ordnance Survey’s MasterMap products. We also have to abide by any conditions put in place via our data sharing agreements with other data owners, so a locked down PDF is still the most appropriate approach.

No. We use the Ordnance Survey Licence of a partner which allows us to create the maps for the report but not for them to be reprinted.

The agreed terms and conditions when commissioning a data search report include that the report licence is one year. The datasets are reviewed every quarter, and, in many cases, datasets are updated and new data are added (e.g. species dataset) quarterly. These new data could be important for a site’s ecological appraisal and assessment of impacts of a proposed development on biodiversity.

Paragraph 7.7. in CIEEM’s Guidelines For Accessing, Using and Sharing Biodiversity Data In The UK (March 2020) state “Where planning applications are delayed, a new data search may be required (see CIEEM’s Advice Note on the Lifespan of Ecological Reports¹⁰). The LERC’s terms of use may also define a limit on the length of time the data can be used”. These guidelines also provide other useful information on data search reports.

We currently do not offer the option of a licence extension.

Yes! Consultants are recorders too and we welcome records that are part of your licence submissions (e.g. GCN) or from survey work. A recording spreadsheet can be found here: https://www.gigl.org.uk/submit-records/recording-spreadsheet/ or records can be emailed straight to submit@gigl.org.uk. We have also produced a series of data standards guidance documents which can be found here.