Descrizione 1
Simona Benedetti
As of July 2024, the provision of environmental information and communication tools on the web by the monitored institutions remains stable compared to 2023. This applies both to the overall average score of the monitored websites (31 points out of a maximum of 48), and when considering the average scores of SNPA websites (29 points) and those of research institutions and the MASE (37 points). Sixteen websites achieved a score equal to or above the overall average of 31. The institutional website with the most comprehensive set of tools and web content is that of the INGV, with 42 points.
The indicator describes the response of the main institutions operating in the environmental sector to the demand for environmental information and communication. It assesses the presence on the analysed websites of the following services and sections: News, Publications, Databases, Online Forms, Environmental Legislation, Useful Links, Bulletins, Social Media, Number of Tweets, Number of Posts, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Number of YouTube Videos, Press Area, Open Data, Apps, Mobile Website, SMS News, Newsletter, Weather Information, Toll-Free Number, Contact Information, Online Journals.
Evaluate the provision of environmental information and communication on the web by the National Environmental Protection System (SNPA) network, several key research institutions, and the Ministry for the Environment and Energy (MASE), in order to enhance the knowledge and dissemination of environmental information.
The current regulatory framework aims to ensure public access to environmental information and requires Public Administrations (PAs) to disseminate the data at their disposal, promoting citizen involvement and active participation.
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Circular 61/2013, implementing provisions of Decree-Law No. 179 of 18 October 2012, converted with amendments by Law No. 221 of 17 December 2012, regarding the accessibility of websites and digital services. Obligations for Public Administrations.
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Regulation (EC) No. 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention to Community institutions and bodies (OJ L 264, 25.9.2006).
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Council Decision 2005/370/EC of 17 February 2005 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (OJ L 124, 17.5.2005).
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Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 providing for public participation in the development of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC with regard to public participation and access to justice (OJ L 156, 25.6.2003).
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Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information, repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC (OJ L 41, 14.2.2003).
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Directive 2002/58/EC of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (OJ L 201, 31.7.2002).
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Regulation (EC) No. 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (OJ L 145, 31.5.2001; in force since 3 June 2001).
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Regulation (EC) No. 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by EU institutions and bodies, and on the free movement of such data (OJ L 8, 12.1.2001).
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Aarhus Convention of 25 June 1998 on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.
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Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
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Legislative Decree No. 33 of 14 March 2013: "Reorganisation of the rules concerning transparency, publicity and dissemination of information by Public Administrations."
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Legislative Decree No. 235/2010, amending the Digital Administration Code (CAD) - Legislative Decree No. 82/2005.
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Resolution of 26 July 2010, "Guidelines for Public Administration Websites" issued by the Minister for Public Administration and Innovation.
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Directive 8/09 of the Minister for Public Administration and Innovation on reducing the number of PA websites and improving the quality of online information and services for citizens.
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Legislative Decree No. 195 of 19 August 2005 implementing Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information (OJ No. 222, 23.9.2005 – republished in OJ No. 239, 13.10.2005).
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Legislative Decree No. 82 of 7 March 2005, "Digital Administration Code" (OJ No. 112, 16.5.2005 – Supplement No. 93).
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Presidential Decree No. 75 of 1 March 2005, implementing Law No. 4 of 9 January 2004 on access to IT tools by people with disabilities (OJ No. 101, 3.5.2005).
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Legislative Decree No. 42 of 28 February 2005, establishing the public connectivity system and the international network of the PA, pursuant to Article 10 of Law No. 229 of 29 July 2003 (OJ No. 73, 30.3.2005).
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Law No. 4 of 9 January 2004, on access to IT tools by persons with disabilities (OJ No. 13, 17.1.2004).
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Law No. 108 of 16 March 2001, ratifying and implementing the Aarhus Convention with two annexes (OJ No. 85, 11.4.2001 – Supplement No. 80).
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Law No. 150 of 7 June 2000, regulating information and communication activities of Public Administrations (OJ No. 136, 13.6.2000).
Descrizione 2
- Censis, U.C.S.I, 2020. 16° Rapporto Censis U.C.S.I sulla comunicazione “I media e la costruzione dell'identità”. Franco Angeli, Milano
- SNPA, Rapporto Ambiente, edizione 2018
- Censis, U.C.S.I, 2013. 12° Rapporto Censis U.C.S.I sulla comunicazione “L’economia della disintermediazione digitale”. Franco Angeli, Milano
- Censis, 2013. 49° Rapporto sulla situazione sociale del Paese/2013 (Capitolo Comunicazione e media pag. 407-464). Franco Angeli, Milano
- Codice dell’Amministrazione Digitale, D.Lgs. 7 marzo 2005, n. 82 e successive modifiche ed integrazioni introdotte dal decreto legislativo 30 dicembre 2010, n. 235
- COM(2006) 194 del 3 maggio 2006 “Libro verde della Commissione, sull’Iniziativa europea per la trasparenza” (Non pubblicato nella Gazzetta ufficiale)
- COM(2006) 35 dell’1.2.2006 - Commissione delle Comunità europee “Libro bianco su una politica europea di comunicazione”
- COM(2005) 229 dell’1.6.2005 - Comunicazione della Commissione al Consiglio, al Parlamento europeo, al Comitato economico e sociale europeo e al Comitato delle regioni “Una società europea dell’informazione per la crescita e l’occupazione”
- COM/2002/0263 - Comunicazione della Commissione al Consiglio, al Parlamento europeo, al Comitato economico e sociale e al Comitato delle regioni - eEurope 2005: una società dell'informazione per tutti - Piano d'azione da presentare per il Consiglio europeo di Siviglia 21 e 22 giugno 2002
- COM (2001) 529(01) - Comunicazione della Commissione al Consiglio, al Parlamento europeo, al Comitato economico e sociale e al Comitato delle regioni - eEurope 2002: accessibilità e contenuto dei siti Internet delle amministrazioni pubbliche
- COM(2001) 428/2 del 5.8.2001 - Commissione delle Comunità europee “Libro bianco sulla Governance europea”
- COM(1999) 687 dell'8 dicembre 1999 - Comunicazione, relativa ad un'iniziativa della Commissione in occasione del Consiglio europeo straordinario di Lisbona del 23 e 24 marzo 2000: eEurope - Una società dell'informazione per tutti
- DigitPA, Formez, 2010, Linee guida per i siti web della PA. Ernst & Young, 2016, Italia Smart – Rapporto Smart City Index
- ISPRA, anni vari, Annuario dei dati ambientali
- ISPRA, anni vari, Qualità dell’ambiente urbano, (XI, XII, XIII Rapporto)
- ISPRA, 2015, La comunicazione ambientale sui siti web dei comuni italiani
- ISPRA, 2018, Dati sull’ambiente
- ISPRA, 2018, Ricapitolando... l’ambiente
- ISPRA, 2020, 2021, Annuario in cifre
- ISPRA, 2023, Ambiente in Italia: uno sguardo d’insieme
- Ministro per la pubblica amministrazione e l’innovazione, 2011 Linee Guida per i siti web della PA
- SNPA, Le attività di comunicazione e informazione delle Agenzie ambientali, Settembre 2015
- Vademecum Open data, Come rendere aperti i dati delle pubbliche amministrazioni. Versione beta
- Vademecum Pubblica Amministrazione e Social Media 2011
Low level of detail in the information provided.
Extension of the survey to the websites of other local/national institutions with environmental/territorial responsibilities.Estensione della rilevazione ai siti di altre istituzioni locali/nazionali con competenze ambientali/territoriali.
Qualificazione dati
Analysis of the Websites of SNPA (ISPRA-ARPA/APPA), MASE and Several Research Bodies (CNR, CREA, ENEA, INGV, INFN, ISTAT)
National, regional
2020-2024 (31 July)
Qualificazione indicatore
The main types of services and sections (22 types) related to environmental information and communication offered by the websites of SNPA, MASE, and some of the main research institutions have been identified.
Variables considered “outdated” or present on the surveyed websites due to legal requirements (e.g. certified email – PEC) were excluded from the evaluation.
For some types, the presence/absence within the website was verified, and if present, a score of 1 was assigned. For other types of tools or services, in addition to presence, quantity was also assessed (e.g. number of news items; number of tweets).
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Environmental publications and documentation: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a sufficiently explicit label, such as Documentation, Report, Publications, or Attachments, on the homepage or in a thematic section:
a) Zero publications: 0;
b) From 1 to 10 documents: 1;
c) From 10 to 20 documents: 2;
d) Over 20 documents: 3.
Max: 4 -
Environmental legislation: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a sufficiently explicit label referring to legislation, on the homepage or in a thematic section:
a) Zero legal provisions: 0;
b) From 1 to 10 provisions: 1;
d) From 10 to 20 provisions: 2;
f) Over 20 provisions: 3.
Max: 4 -
Environmental news: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a sufficiently explicit label on the homepage or in a thematic section of the site. Only news items published in the last week are considered:
a) Zero news items: 0;
b) From 1 to 5 news items: 1;
c) From 5 to 10 news items: 2;
d) Over 10 news items: 3
Max: 4 -
Useful links: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a clear label on the homepage or in a thematic section of the website:
a) 0 links: 0;
b) From 1 to 5 links: 1;
c) From 5 to 10 links: 2;
d) Over 10 links: 3
Max: 4 -
Contacts: presence of a contact link (or contact information) on the homepage: 1
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Databases: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a sufficiently explicit label, such as Databases, Environmental data, or Data portals, on the homepage or in a thematic section:
a) Zero databases: 0;
b) From 1 to 5 databases: 1;
c) From 5 to 10 databases: 2;
d) Over 10 databases: 3
Max: 4 -
Newsletter: score 1 is assigned if a newsletter is available, with the most recent issue no older than 3 months from the monitoring date.
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Online forms: score 1 is assigned for the presence of forms in various formats (PDF, Word, etc.) editable online or offline, related to environmental procedures.
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Weather: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a link to a weather bulletin from the homepage.
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Toll-free number: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a toll-free number for citizens.
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Press area: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a label directing to a section dedicated to journalists:
a) Press review: 1;
b) Press releases: 1
Max: 3 -
YouTube or other video platform: score 1 is assigned for the presence of an institutional video channel on the web (e.g. YouTube).
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Number of videos published on the YouTube channel in the 6 months prior to monitoring:
0 videos: 0;
From 1 to 5 videos: 1;
From 5 to 10 videos: 2;
From 10 to 20 videos: 3;
Over 20 videos: 4
Max: 4 -
Mobile version: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a version of the website navigable via smartphone.
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Bulletins: periodic environmental data bulletins: 1
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Social networks: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a label linking to social networks on the homepage (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn).
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Number of Facebook posts in the week prior to the monitoring date:
0 posts: 0;
From 1 to 3 posts: 1;
From 3 to 5 posts: 2;
Over 5 posts: 3
Max: 3 -
Number of tweets in the week prior to the monitoring date:
0 tweets: 0;
From 1 to 5 tweets: 1;
From 5 to 10 tweets: 2;
Over 10 tweets: 3
Max: 3 -
SMS news: score 1 is assigned for the presence of a news service via SMS or a Telegram channel (messaging service).
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Applications (APPs): score 1 is assigned for the presence of smartphone and tablet apps. Monitoring includes the institutional website and the Play Store.
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Open data: score 1 is assigned for the presence of open data.
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Online journals: score 1 is assigned for the presence of an institutional online journal, with the latest issue no older than 6 months from the monitoring date.
Therefore, the maximum achievable score is 48.
There are 16 websites that scored equal to or higher than the overall average of 31.
The most feature-rich institutional website is that of INGV (42 points), followed by the websites of Istat and ISPRA, both with 41 points. ENEA's website ranks third with 38 points. At the bottom of the ranking is ARTA Abruzzo with 15 points (Figure 1).
Compared to the period 2020-2024, after the initial growth, the overall average score of the analyzed websites remains constant.
The same trend is observed for research institutions-MASE and SNPA. Only ISPRA, which showed growth until 2022 and then stabilized, loses 1 point in the last year (Figure 2).
Dati
Table 1: Scores obtained by the websites analysed
ISPRA
Table 2: Informational content offering
ISPRA
Table 3: Use of communication and information tools
ISPRA
Table 4: Presence of social media on monitored websites (comparison between Research Bodies-MASE/SNPA)
ISPRA
Table 5: Number of YouTube subscribers
ISPRA
Table 6: Number of Facebook likes
ISPRA
Table 7: Number of Twitter followers
ISPRA
Table 8: Types of Apps present on the monitored websites
ISPRA
The monitoring carried out in July 2024 highlighted a heterogeneous situation with respect to the two subgroups of institutions in the sample (Figure 1).
The average score achieved by the websites of research institutions (CNR, CREA, ENEA, INGV, INFN, Istat) and MASE (37 points) is higher than the overall average (31 points) and the average score of the SNPA websites (29 points). The latter value also includes the score for ISPRA’s website, which, although a research institution, is an integral part of the SNPA. The website of INGV registered the highest score (42 points). The website of ARPA Sicilia, with 5 points more than in 2023, showed the best performance. The websites of INFN (+4 points) and APPA Bolzano (+3 points) also performed well. Negative scores were recorded for ARPA Liguria and MASE, which lost 7 and 4 points, respectively (Table 1).
Regarding the richness of the information offered by the websites (Figure 3), expressed by the number of news items, publications, useful links, regulations, and databases, the websites with the most content remain those of ISPRA and ARPAE Emilia-Romagna (20 points). All websites include publications, online forms for requesting environmental services, news, databases, and at least one email address for contacting the institution (Figure 4). As for the news, the data also considers updates, counting only those published within seven days of the monitoring date. Social networks are used by 26 institutions, which is stable compared to 2023. Details on the use of major social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter) show that YouTube and Twitter are the most widely used, present in 90% and 80% of the sample, with a stable trend for Twitter compared to 2023 and a growth of +6 percentage points for YouTube (Figure 5). Since last year, LinkedIn, the social network dedicated to professional relationships, has been included in the monitoring. LinkedIn allows users to create specific profiles by indicating work experience, studies, awards received, and publications. The 2024 monitoring showed an increase in its use by 7 percentage points. All research institutions and MASE use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, while, for SNPA, 87% of its entities have a YouTube channel, 74% have a Twitter profile, 52% have a Facebook profile (+4 percentage points), and 39% have an Instagram profile (+9 percentage points). LinkedIn is used much more by research institutions and MASE (86%) compared to SNPA (48%) (Table 4).
Regarding the degree of use of social media, the number of videos published on YouTube in the last six months and the number of Facebook posts and tweets published in the week prior to the monitoring date were considered. Seven websites achieved the maximum score (10 points): five are research institutions (Istat, INGV, INFN, ENEA, and CREA); two belong to SNPA: ISPRA and ARPA Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Figure 6). The most followed YouTube channels (Table 5) are those of INGV, ISPRA, and INFN. INGV ranks first for popularity with its main YouTube channel and thematic channels (environment, earthquakes, and volcanoes), totaling the highest number of subscribers (28,184). Among the environmental agencies, ARPA Umbria remains the most followed (4,010 subscribers). The Facebook profile with the highest number of likes is that of INGV, with almost 352,000 likes (Table 6). In addition to the main Facebook profile, the institution has active thematic profiles (earthquakes, volcanoes, and environment). Second place goes to MASE (almost 137,000 likes), followed by INFN (over 54,710 likes). INGV’s Facebook pages saw the largest increase in likes over the past year (almost 46,000), followed by ARPA Sardegna and INFN (over 5,200 for both profiles). Among the environmental agencies, ARPA Liguria remains the agency with the most followed Facebook profile.
As for Twitter followers (Table 7), INGV remains in first place with 63,728 followers; this data is obtained by adding up the followers of the institution's four Twitter channels, dedicated respectively to earthquakes, volcanoes, the environment, and communication. Stable in second place is the MASE Twitter channel. Among regional agencies, ARPA Piemonte ranks first in followers (16,459). Despite not being among the observed variables, it is noted that the use of Telegram, a free instant messaging app, is beginning to spread among social media channels. Telegram allows users to chat with their contacts using a nickname, so there is no need to exchange phone numbers. The app also allows the organization of public and private groups and offers various features, including channels and bots. Bots are instant automated chat services that interact with user requests by following specific pre-programmed commands. As of now, ARPA Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Piemonte, Veneto, MASE, Istat, and INGV are using Telegram.
Finally, an analysis concerns the most innovative tool: smartphone applications (Table 8). Compared to 2023, the number of available apps has increased from 40 to 50. Three new apps have been added solely for monitoring air quality. The most common types are those for monitoring weather conditions, bathing water quality, and pollen levels.