New Esri UK partner creates biodiversity net gain assessment tool

Streamlined workflow helps users meet BNG legislation

Temple, one of the UK’s leading environment, planning and sustainability consultancies, has joined the Esri UK partner network as a Silver Partner. The new partnership enables Temple to use Esri’s GIS (Geographic Information System) technology, combined with its environmental expertise, to develop innovative software solutions for clients.

The UKHab and BNG Survey App is the first application to be launched, to help AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) organisations make decisions on development plans and meet the new biodiversity net gain (BNG) legislation, which comes in to force this year. This demands that all new construction projects provide at least 110% of the biodiversity value found on a site prior to its development.

Designed to simplify the processes involved in BNG assessments, the software streamlines the workflow from field data collection to in-office assessment and provides a real time BNG score. The new app also enables the seamless use of existing UKHab surveys and conversion to BNG surveys. This means many users can take advantage of their current ecological processes and comply with the new legislation faster and more cost effectively.

Temple specialises in providing environment, ecology, planning and sustainability consultancy services on infrastructure projects across the UK. Customers include Network Rail, Transport for London and the Government of Jersey.

“The new partnership has allowed us to create a best-in-class solution to meet the increasing demand for BNG solutions and improve how users carry out biodiversity surveys,” explained Mark Skelton, CEO at Temple. “By combining our vast experience in ecology, environmental impact assessments and wider scientific understanding with established Esri tools, new digital workflows mean users can now manage a project’s impact on the landscape and comply with the new law in a highly accurate and efficient way.

“Becoming an Esri UK Silver Partner is a milestone in Temple’s 25-year history. Both organisations share the same ethos regarding sustainability and we are delighted to transition from a long-standing Esri customer to partner, moving from pure consultancy to providing software and services. We look forward to working alongside Esri UK to accelerate sustainable action within the UK’s current and emerging regulatory environmental frameworks.”

Additional functionality in the new tool will soon include scenario modelling, to make the comparison of potential designs more accessible and financial differences more quantifiable. Future plans include applications aimed at specific sectors and their roles in BNG, including rural landowners, local government planning authorities and land developers.

“Esri UK is pleased to welcome Temple to our Partner Network,” said Craig Evenden, Head of AEC at Esri UK. “Already widely used in ecology and conservation, GIS applications help users understand the state of biodiversity and reveal insights into complex environmental challenges. Temple’s new application is a robust offering, building on Esri’s proven technology so BNG can be both determined and delivered, ensuring environmental sustainability and compliance with the new legislation.”

More information on the UKHab and BNG Survey App, including a demo, can be found here:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0e851751218a4b3688fc48006538e9d3

About Esri UK

Founded in 1969, Esri is the global market leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) software, location intelligence and mapping and today has 4,000 staff in 73 countries.

Esri UK has over 450 employees with offices in Aylesbury, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Belfast. Customers include Vodafone, Balfour Beatty, Defra, Public Health Scotland and the National Trust.

For more information please visit: esriuk.com.