The BfS-geoportal

With the BfS-Geoportal, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection provides its own internet portal for the search and visualization of spatial data (geodata) and web services (geodata services).

Geodata (also called geographic data or geospatial data) means any data with a direct or indirect reference to a specific location or a geographic area. Examples for geodata are the number of hours of sunshine at a specific location or the gamma radiation at a specific ambient dose rate probe. Because of their spatial reference, geodata can be displayed in maps.

A geodata web service allows you to access geodata through the Internet.

What is the BfS-Geoportal?

With the BfS-Geoportal public authorities, interest groups, interested citizens as well as businesses can retrieve information of different radiation measurement data like artificial radionuclides (e.g. caesium-137) in food or feed or the actual ambient dose rate (ODL).

You can restrict your search results to specific periods of time or geographic areas, or you can get a general overview of Germany.

Which data are provided by the BfS?

Measurement data from the BfS as well as data from federal agencies, federal state authorities and other public authorities are available.The majority of the data provided in the BfS-Geoportal comes from the "Integrated Measurement and Information System for the Surveillance of Environmental Radioactivity" (IMIS). Various measuring networks and more than 60 laboratories from Federal and regional authorities are participating in the IMIS measuring program for constant monitoring of the environment.

In addition, you can display data of the radon-222 concentration in soil air and open air or the actual UV-Index. The data is divided thematically into

• ambient gamma dose rate (ODL)
• air
• precipitation
• soil surface
• soil
• water bodies
• food
• feed
• Other environmental media
• Radon
• UV
• Others

The BfS Geoportal provides data from the BfS to the public according to the so called 'Open Data Act' (E-Government-Gesetz - EgovG) (in German only).

How does the Geoportal work?

BfS-Geoportal

The BfS-Geoportal is an interactive map application. The desired data can be selected via the menu (upper left in the Geoportal) and loaded into the map. The legend (lower right in the Geoportal) explains the coloring of the data in the map and provides additional functions. The exact measured values can be called up at the individual data points in the map. Time series (if available) are displayed in e.g. supplementary diagrams.

A "help" page starts with the use of the BfS-Geoportal and provides detailed information on operation and functionality (help button at the end of the menu).

What is meant by geodata web services and which web data services are provided by the BfS?

A web service, to put it simply, is a standardised request and response over the internet which can either be carried out automatically by computers or interactively by users. When geo-information is provided via web services, one speaks of geodata services.

What are the legal requirements?

The reason for the development of the BfS-Geoportal available since late 2013 was the European INSPIRE Directive (INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation in Europe). With INSPIRE the EU aims at facilitating the cross-border use of spatial data (geodata). The Geoportal is especially intended to support environmental policy decisions and measures in Europe.

In Germany, the INSPIRE Directive has been implemented by the "Law on the Access to Digital Geodata (Geodata Access Act, GeoZG)". This has considerably advanced the technical developments and standardization of search, display and download services over the last few years.

Among other things, this has made it possible to provide users with central access to geodata services from different sources, as it is e.g. possible in the BfS Geoportal.

Where do I find further spatial data?

Independently of its own Geoportal, the BfS provides its data and services through Geoportal.de. This portal is the central search engine for spatial data infrastructure in Germany.

Geoportal.de is a service provided by the Federal Government, the Länder (states) and the municipalities. On this website, information available nationwide such as road maps, aerial photographs and thematic maps ranging from energy, urban development planning, to nature conservation, is merged in order to provide a comprehensive overview of freely available geospatial information in Germany.