Policy Statement

The fundamental principle will be towards making all datasets available with the appropriate interpretation. However, access to datasets will be restricted where general availability could pose a real threat to species or habitats, would compromise GiGL services or the supply of data, or third party licences restrict sharing. GiGL staff and volunteers must remain impartial regarding the end uses of data when representing the organisation.

Data for GiGL Clients

Datasets in a raw or interpreted format such as GIS or Excel are not supplied to clients. Instead, GiGL provide summary outputs that include sensitive and confidential records at the level of resolution defined by GiGL and / or the data owners/originators. Confidential records will be included in the reports minus their geographic content to create a ‘species alert’ record. In order to establish the presence of confidential records on the site in question, a second data search request must be submitted with a detailed site boundary.

Data for GiGL Partners

Datasets are supplied electronically to GiGL’s partners in a partner-specified format for incorporation in their own data management systems, and are updated on a quarterly basis. Sensitive and confidential records are included at full resolution in the data files. Partners are not permitted to publish or distribute GiGL datasets or passwords without prior permission from the GiGL Team. On termination of a service level agreement or data sharing agreement, an organisation must remove all third party data i.e, all data that aren’t their own intellectual property, from their system in accordance with their GiGL Licence.

Data for other licencees

Datasets are supplied under licence to students, researchers and other GiGL stakeholders undertaking work that is consistent with GiGL’s vision for London.

www.gigl.org.uk/discoverlondon access

The public-facing functionality of www.gigl.org.uk/discoverlondon delivers information on the capital’s accessible wildlife sites and open spaces, and the information supplied is intended for use by the general public only. Use of this resource by potential clients or partners to inform their work is not permitted by the terms and conditions of use. They should instead access more detailed information via relevant GiGL services.

Open Data

Uploading data to online data portals will be undertaken where the terms and conditions of the portal allow GiGL to manage the data in accordance with this policy. We will publish data that are not considered sensitive by GiGL or the data owners under a CC-BY licence.

Access Restrictions

GiGL provides full access to all relevant datasets to its partners and their contractors for in-house use only to carry out their core work. GiGL does not provide datasets to organisations outside of a current agreement.

GiGL restrictions:

Species and Habitat Data

GiGL will maintain a list of sensitive species through collaboration with experts for which the general release of data could pose a risk to the species or its habitat, and will apply necessary constraints to data relating to these.

Commercially Sensitive Data

GiGL reserves the right to turn down project and licence applications by non-partners that will result in the delivery of GiGL services by third parties. The GiGL business model is based on the delivery of data through products and services which are developed using core funding, and we will reject applications that may adversely affect this position.

Access to data on GiGL’s server will be restricted to staff and long-term volunteers who are required to act in accordance with this policy.

Data Owners/Originators restrictions

Data owners or originators are able to opt out of GiGL making their data available to partners, clients or via online data portals. They are invited to define any sensitive or confidential records plus associated restrictions in a data sharing agreement. Should they subsequently wish to change the restrictions on any records, they must inform GiGL in writing (email or post). GiGL will then change the record status on the database with immediate effect.

GiGL will discuss confidentiality aspects of data with data owners/originators and will make attempts to negotiate as few restrictions as necessary e.g. defining the resolution at which data can be released (1km, 10km etc) or identifying agreed individuals/organisations that may see records at their original resolution.

GiGL may refuse to accept data if restrictions requested by the data owner/originator are too onerous or restrictive.