Updating of the Open Mosaic Habitat Priority Habitat GIS layer

Habitat inventories for many Priority Habitats have been produced and are regularly updated. Open Mosaic Habitats on Previously Developed Land (OMH) was added to the list of Priority Habitats in 2010 and a draft inventory was developed in 2013. This piece of work is looking to update the draft inventory.

Project Scope and Overview

The draft OMH inventory was created largely as a desk exercise using a rule base (attached) that itself is built upon a methodology which aimed to determine how OMH could be identified both remotely and in the field and mapped into a habitat inventory. The dataset is available at Open Mosaic Habitat (Draft) - data.gov.uk on the Magic Map Application (defra.gov.uk).

Since it was first published the dataset has not been updated and in that time sites identified as OMH (or as sites with the potential to hold OMH) may have been lost to development, or undergone ecological succession to habitats that would no longer correspond to the criteria for OMH.

The work required is in four parts.

Task 0. Initial exploratory investigation of the datasets and recommendations to be agreed with NE.

Task 1. This will comprise a desk exercise to overlay suitable aerial photography imagery with the OMH GIS layer and using the rule base, identify polygons which appear to no longer comprise OMH habitat. Those polygons identified will be used to create a new GIS layer and the associated data table amended to include the justification for selection. Where polygons were included in the original OMH layer based on field assessment/survey report then these should not be included in the new layer. A second new GIS layer will be created showing the polygons still assessed as containing OMH.

Task 2. This will comprise a review of the OMH Inventory Data Capture Rule Book v1.2 to identify if there are any changes required to the rule base prior to a more comprehensive review of the OMH layer. Such changes might include changes to the datasets used due to datasets previously used no longer being available.

Task 3. Outputs and Reporting. GIS data in ARCPro compatible format.

Timeframe: The tasks are required to be completed by end of March 2024.

Additional information: To apply for this opportunity you must submit your quotation meeting the requirements detailed in the Request for Quotation (RFQ) attached.

Your response must be sent to chris.hogarth@naturalengland.org.uk by 17:00 on 18 December 2023.

If you have any clarification questions linked to this opportunity or the procurement process please submit these via email to chris.hogarth@naturalengland.org.uk by 17:00 on 1 December 2023. Please note that, unless commercially sensitive, both the question and the response will be circulated to all tenderers.