Data request terms and conditions

Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service (SBIS) handles requests for ecological information, releasing data from a range of sources. SBIS subscribes to the Standard Data Enquiry Service agreed across the East of England.

Access policy: Enquirers should request data by using the data request form on our website before a data search is initiated. Where the data search extends into an adjoining county, enquirers consent to SBIS providing the search information to the appropriate Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC) so that a cross-border search can be initiated.

• SBIS will provide a quotation based on our current charges (see our data request page for current prices). Once the quotation is accepted by completing our online acceptance form, the data search will start.
• SBIS will provide access to data subject to any conditions imposed on its use by UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, copyright and intellectual property rights legislation, or by the data owners. Restrictions on the release of information may therefore apply.
• SBIS will release the data request results as soon as possible after receiving your acceptance of the quotation, unless an extension of time is needed.
• SBIS will not normally comment on the significance of the data released. It will supply raw data from its databases and leave its interpretation to the recipient. SBIS may, however, supply contextual information that it considers may be useful to the recipient’s understanding.
• Your personal details will only be used by SBIS and will not be passed on to any third party, except for the purposes of completing the data search (such as invoicing). We will never sell your contact details to another organisation.

Charges: SBIS may charge for the time spent searching and collating the ecological information. Any such charge goes towards recovering the service’s administrative costs and towards the maintenance and development of SBIS and its records. No charge is made for the data itself. All charges are subject to VAT. Payment will be requested by invoice, on 30-day payment terms. Current charges are listed on our data request page.

• Charges may be waived for non-commercial users who will use the data for non-commercial purposes. These include non-sponsored researchers, teachers and students; members of the public; charitable or voluntary nature conservation organisations; and natural history societies. Enquirers may be asked to provide supporting information.
• Organisations or individuals who support SBIS financially, by data supply, or in kind will be entitled to services agreed on an individual basis.
• Charges may also be waived if no data is available within the search area.

Disclaimers: The absence of a record in response to a data search does not imply that a species or important habitat does not exist within the search area.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of all data provided, SBIS cannot accept responsibility for any costs, damages, or liabilities arising from the use of data provided by SBIS, or for any omissions or inaccuracies within it.

Data release terms and conditions: By accepting a quote, enquirers acknowledge that they have read and understood the access policies and charges set out on this page and accept the conditions below.

1. Data is supplied on condition that it is only for the use of the enquirer and their client (if commissioned) and only for the purpose specified at the time of the enquiry. Data must not be stored beyond the life of the project for which it was acquired, or for five years from acquisition, whichever is sooner.
2. Data may be used within reports, documents, and other outputs produced for the purpose stated at the time of enquiry. Data must not be published more widely or made available to third parties without written permission from SBIS. Where items of a sensitive nature are indicated by SBIS, published grid references must not locate them with accuracy greater than 1km without written permission from SBIS.
3. Data will be stored in a manner that prevents its use and distribution beyond that permitted by conditions 1 and 2 above.
4. The enquirer agrees not to modify the factual content of the material supplied, and not to copy directly any parts of the material that have been identified by SBIS as not to be copied (for example, Ordnance Survey-based maps, where licensing restrictions apply, or material of a sensitive nature). This applies regardless of the medium of the supplied material.
5. Data used in any form of document must have its source acknowledged. All maps, reports, and documents that include SBIS data must carry the attribution: © Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service. Where data originates in part from a cross-border search, attribution to the relevant partner record centre may also be required.
6. Data providers retain copyright in their original records. SBIS retains database rights in the compiled archive. Ownership of data is not transferred by this agreement.
7. The enquirer will indemnify SBIS against any claims made against SBIS or any of its employees for any loss or damage arising from the supply of data pursuant to this agreement.
8. Data held by SBIS, although verified as far as possible, is not definitive. There may be data concerning items in the ecological environment that are unknown to SBIS or that were not recorded at the time of the enquiry, and for which SBIS cannot be held liable.
9. Some data may be withheld because of its sensitive nature, the requirements of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and/or conditions imposed by its owner.
10. Where the search has been completed as a cross-border data search, the enquirer also accepts the terms and conditions of the relevant LERC: Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Environmental Records Centre.