Searching in the Environmental Data Compendium

There are four ways of searching in the Environmental and Nature Data Compendium:

• A free search for a keyword using a search engine.
• A search by subject, opening dossiers via an alphabetical list.
• Browsing through the Compendium. You move from level to level through the Compendium towards the desired information. The path at the top of every page shows you where you are at any given time.
• The site map provides an overview of the structure of the website.

These four methods can be found on every page of the Compendium. Use whichever method you prefer.

1 - The search engine.

Type in one or more keywords. This will produce a list of compendium pages that contain at least one of the words. To view a page, click on the link under the title of the document you want to look at.

2 - The alphabetical list of environment and nature topics.

You want to know more about eutrophication? Click on the 'A-Z' button. Select the letter E and then choose the subject 'eutrophication' on the left-hand side. This produces an overview of all the information in the Compendium relating to eutrophication. The alphabetical list also includes synonyms. The keywords 'phosphate', 'nitrate' and 'nitrogen' also lead to the 'eutrophication' dossier.

3- Browsing through the Compendium

The Compendium contains about 700 indicators (tables or figures with notes). In order to make them manageable, they have been broken up into 11 sections. Within these sections, there is another breakdown. The environmental part will be added before the end of 2004.

The nature information has been broken down into the following sections:

• Landscape
• Biodiversity
• Nature and the environment
• Ecosystems
• Nature and society
• Nature policy

Click on a section title for an explanation ('guide') of the options in the particular section. The guides contain links that will take you a level further. In this way, you can move from level to level ('browse') through the Compendium. For instance: You want to know which species have returned in the Netherlands after having disappeared. Click on 'Biodiversity' and then go to 'Recovery'. Then click on the relevant indicator: 'Species that have recently returned'.

If you find this too awkward, use the search engine and enter, for example, the keywords industry and CO₂. Alternatively, go to industry or CO₂ in the alphabetical list and look for the indicator you want there.

4 - Site map

The site map provides an overview of the structure of the website. The eleven sections described in option 3 'Browsing' make up the basic structure. The site map shows the subsections right down to the lowest level. Click in the site map for an explanation ('guide') for the relevant section. The site map does not include a list of all 700 indicators. The links to the indicators can be found in the guides.