The Ministry of the Environment of Japan hosts the “Environmental Assessment Database (EADAS).” This system is in operation from 2014. It was started to provide centralized information on natural and social environments, helping users understand regional characteristics for environmental assessments. The latest enhancements expand the range of available data, focusing on environmental conservation and business feasibility for renewable energy projects. The system also supports mobile devices, making it easier for users to access the data during field surveys.
- Old Name: Environmental Assessment and Basic Environmental Information Database System
- New Name: Environmental Assessment Database
- Abbreviation: EADAS (Environmental Impact Assessment Database System)
Background and Objectives
Conducting high-quality environmental assessments is critical when introducing renewable energy projects such as wind power generation. To support this, the Ministry of the Environment created the Environmental Assessment Basic Information Database, which has been operational since 2014. This database offers essential information about the natural and social environments required for such assessments.
Recently, with help from the national government, prefectures, and other organizations, the Ministry expanded the data available in the system. This includes more detailed environmental conservation information, such as data on natural parks, and business feasibility data like slope classification maps. Additionally, new GIS data on quasi-national parks, prefectural natural parks, and bat habitats has been developed and integrated into the platform. All of this information can now be viewed centrally on the Web-GIS.
To make the system more useful for on-site environmental assessments, particularly for renewable energy projects, the database has been redesigned to work seamlessly on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This allows users to access the data while in the field and view their current location based on GPS.
With these improvements, the Ministry has renamed the system “Environmental Assessment Database (EADAS)” to make it more familiar and accessible to the general public.
Information
The system provides a wider range of data related to environmental conservation and renewable energy project feasibility. New information on natural parks, wildlife protection areas, protected water surfaces, and vegetation maps has been added. The system now also includes important business feasibility data, such as slope classification maps and seabed geological maps, which are essential when considering the introduction of renewable energy projects.
In cooperation with prefectures and related organizations, the Ministry has created new GIS data for quasi-national parks, prefectural natural parks, and bat habitats, which can be accessed nationwide.
The system has been optimized for mobile device screens, making it easier to use during field surveys for environmental assessments. It can display the user’s current location using the device’s GPS, allowing for better alignment with environmental map data on-site.
The Ministry will promote the new EADAS system among relevant government ministries, local governments, academic societies, and stakeholders involved in environmental assessments to encourage its widespread use.
