A curated index of environmental and geospatial datasets described in the Croissant metadata format - spanning OGC web services, STAC spatio-temporal imagery archives, ERDDAP atmospheric and oceanographic data and global sensor networks.
In the listing below, we link to the Croissant files for each respective dataset.
Why Croissant?
Datasets are the basis of machine learning (ML). However, a lack of standardisation of ML datasets has made it increasingly difficult for researchers and practitioners to explore, understand, and use all but a small fraction of popular datasets.
The Croissant metadata format simplifies how data is used by ML models. It provides a vocabulary for dataset attributes, streamlining how data is loaded across ML frameworks, tackling a variety of discoverability, portability, reproducibility, and responsible AI (RAI) challenges.
Croissant metadata is able to be parsed by dataset search engines and can be easily integrated with pre-processing, analysis, and visualisation tools. It also records at a granular level how a dataset was created, processed and enriched throughout its lifecycle as well as proposing a machine-readable way to capture and publish metadata about ML datasets.
Looking for more data?
This list represents only a small fraction of the data available across the Environmental Data Service. To browse our entire catalogue of datasets, check out the NERC EDS Data Catalogue Service
BGS background concentrations of contaminants in English soils
The BGS has been commissioned by Defra to provide guidance on what are 'normal' levels of contaminant concentrations in English soils in support of the revision of the Part 2A Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance. The domain polygons and other data produced by this work are served as WMS here.
| Croissant File | n/a |
|---|---|
| Provided by | National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
| More information | https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/applied-geochemistry/g-base-environmental-geochemistry/nbc-defra-project/ |
| Spatial and temporal extents | England |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/bccs-cadmium.ipynb |
BGS historic earthquakes
Earthquake catalogue of all known UK events until 1969. The catalogue covers the offshore areas as well as mainland UK, covering an area between 10 degrees West to 4 degrees East and 49 degrees to 62 degrees North. This includes all of Ireland and some earthquakes in northern France that were also felt in the UK. Earthquakes outside this area are also included if they were felt in the UK. The historical catalogue has been compiled, in general, from macroseismic observations (ie felt effects). Before 1700, only earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 ML or greater are included. After 1700, all known events with magnitudes of 3.0 ML or greater are included together with some other, smaller ones. Accuracies of magnitude, location, and origin time vary with the quality of information available.
| Croissant File | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/NERC_EDS_AI_Workflows/blob/main/croissant_bakery/NGDC_Croissant_files/uk-historical-earthquakes-pre-1970-json.jsonld |
|---|---|
| Provided by | National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
| More information | https://earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/historical/index.html |
| Spatial and temporal extents | UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), 1500-1969 |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/uk-historical-earthquakes-pre-1970-json.ipynb |
BGS modern recorded earthquakes
This dataset contains recorded earthquakes in the UK from 1970 onwards. The catalogue covers the offshore areas as well as mainland UK, covering an area between 10 degrees West to 4 degrees East and 49 degrees to 62 degrees North. This includes all of Ireland and some earthquakes in northern France that were also felt in the UK. Accuracies of magnitude, location, and origin time vary with the instrumental measurements. Variations are largely a function of the seismograph station coverage, which has been improving up to the present day.
| Croissant File | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/NERC_EDS_AI_Workflows/blob/main/croissant_bakery/NGDC_Croissant_files/uk-modern-recorded-earthquakes-json.jsonld |
|---|---|
| Provided by | National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
| More information | http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13605448 |
| Spatial and temporal extents | UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), 1970~present |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/uk-modern-recorded-earthquakes-geojson.ipynb |
BGS offshore activities and samples Web service
This Web service provides layers which show metadata relating to offshore sample collection and other activities undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and its predecessors. The layers are point layers which indicate the spatial locations of the samples or activities. This service groups data by the type of sample: borehole-type samples (including boreholes, vibrocorers, piston corers and other types of corer), grab samples and other samples (including dredge samples and cone penetrometer tests). For each sample type, two layers are provided: (1) a summary metadata layer containing details about the sample, the survey or cruise during which it was collected, and additional descriptive information, plus a link to scanned images of sample station datasheets where available; and (2) for samples which have undergone further geological interpretation, a layer which contains geological observations, measurements and interpretations at specific depth intervals. Two additional layers containing the results of particle size analysis (PSA) and geotechnical data where collected are also provided.
| Croissant File | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/NERC_EDS_AI_Workflows/blob/main/croissant_bakery/NGDC_Croissant_files/offshore-sample-data-json.jsonld |
|---|---|
| Provided by | National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
| More information | https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/7c18922e-daa2-4b78-b713-6ba743a76944/bgs-offshore-activities-and-samples-web-service |
| Spatial and temporal extents | UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), collected from 1966 |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/offshore-sample-data-json.ipynb |
BGS offshore small-scale digital mapping Web Service
This Web service provides layers containing offshore digital mapping datasets compiled by the British Geological Survey which have coverage across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), mostly at scales smaller than 1:250 000. It provides view and download services for the following datasets: BGS Offshore Bedrock 250k, BGS Seabed Sediments 250k (including the Marine Hard Substrate Dataset), BGS Offshore Quaternary 250k, 1:1 000 000 scale geological factor map: bedrock summary lithology, 1:1 000 000 scale geological factor map: Quaternary deposit summary lithology, 1:1 000 000 scale geological factor map: Quaternary deposit thickness, and BGS Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK).
| Croissant File | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/croissant-bakery/recipes/bgs-recipes/croissant/offshore-small-scale-digital-mapping-json.jsonld |
|---|---|
| Provided by | National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
| More information | https://www.bgs.ac.uk/datasets/offshore-bedrock-250k/ https://www.bgs.ac.uk/datasets/seabed-sediments-250k/ https://www.bgs.ac.uk/datasets/bgs-predictive-seabed-sediments-uk/ http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13608574 |
| Underlying service type | OGC API - Features |
| Spatial and temporal extents | UKCS |
| Resolution | 1:250000 - 1:1000000 |
| Use case | offshore wind farm siting |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/offshore-small-scale-digital-mapping-json.ipynb https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/seabed_sediments_raster.ipynb |
BGS onshore borehole collection Web service
This Web service provides a spatial index into the BGS collection of onshore borehole materials in the UK and the Isle of Man, including drillcore, bulk specimens, washed and unwashed cuttings and processed material. The boreholes have been drilled by BGS, or by commercial or public bodies. The name of the borehole, its unique reference code and number (BGS_ID) and the type of material is provided. For some boreholes, multiple types of material are available. Details of the collection are held in the Borehole Materials Database, and may be accessed via the BGS website.
| Croissant File | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/croissant-bakery/recipes/bgs-recipes/croissant/borehole-materials-json.jsonld |
|---|---|
| Provided by | National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) |
| More information | https://www.bgs.ac.uk/technologies/databases/borehole-materials-database/ http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13608530 |
| Underlying service type | OGC API - Features |
| Spatial and temporal extents | UK, Collected 1950- |
| Use case | offshore wind farm siting |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/bgs_notebooks/borehole-materials.ipynb |
Climate hydrology and ecology research support system meteorology dataset for Great Britain (1961-2019)
Gridded daily meteorological variables over Great Britain for the years 1961-2019 at 1 km resolution. This dataset contains time series of daily mean values of air temperature (K), specific humidity (kg kg-1), wind speed (m s-1), downward longwave radiation (W m-2), downward shortwave radiation (W m-2), precipitation (kg m-2 s-2) and air pressure (Pa), plus daily temperature range (K). These are the variables required to run the JULES land surface model with daily disaggregation.
| Additional notes | The data are provided in gridded netCDF files. There is one file for each variable for each month of the dataset. |
|---|---|
| Croissant File | TBC |
| Provided by | EIDC |
| More information | https://doi.org/10.5285/835a50df-e74f-4bfb-b593-804fd61d5eab |
| Underlying service type | TBC |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Great Britain, 1961-2019 |
| Use case | TBC |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | TBC |
ECMWF ERA5X SFC Wind Repack
The objectives of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA5 project are to produce and promote use of a comprehensive set of global analyses describing the state of the atmosphere, land and ocean-wave conditions from 1979 to present. The ERA5 project builds on the previous work undertaken by the ERA-15, ERA-40 and ERA-Interim projects. ERA5 is continuously updated at ECMWF, with initial products upto 5 days behind the present day issued as ERA5t ahead of review and final release as the ERA5 data, typically 2 months behind the present month.
| Croissant File | https://gws-access.jasmin.ac.uk/public/eds_ai/high5/catalogue/croissant/ceda/ |
|---|---|
| Provided by | CEDA |
| More information | Need to confirm which record https://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/5971cb20fae94540b862ae3ed3204c3f/ |
| Underlying service type | /// |
| Licence | https://artefacts.ceda.ac.uk/licences/specific_licences/ecmwf-era-products.pdf |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Globe, 2000-2020 |
| Resolution | 31km |
| Use case | TBC |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | TBC |
ESA Soil Moisture Climate Change Initiative (Soil_Moisture_cci): L3S-SSMV-COMBINED-1978-2020
ESA CCI Surface Soil Moisture COMBINED active+passive Product data for August 2021
| Croissant File | https://gws-access.jasmin.ac.uk/public/eds_ai/high5/catalogue/croissant/ceda/ESACCI-SOILMOISTURE-L3S-SSMV-COMBINED-1978-2020-fv05.3_2021_08_croissant.json |
|---|---|
| Provided by | CEDA |
| More information | Not sure this is the right catalogue link: https://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/d4e66299f5054129b8076fb7502949e1/ |
| Underlying service type | STAC |
| Licence | https://artefacts.ceda.ac.uk/licences/specific_licences/esacci_soilmoisture_terms_and_conditions_v2.pdf |
| Spatial and temporal extents | August 2021 |
| Resolution | 0.25 degrees |
| Use case | Blue/green spaces |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/NERC_EDS_AI_Workflows/blob/main/Use-cases/data_tools_bluegreen_spaces.ipynb |
HadUK-Grid Gridded Climate Observations on a 5km grid over the UK, v1.3.1.ceda (1836-2024)
HadUK-Grid is a collection of gridded climate variables derived from the network of UK land surface observations. The data have been interpolated from meteorological station data onto a uniform grid to provide complete and consistent coverage across the UK. The dataset at 5 km resolution is derived from the associated 1 km x 1 km resolution to allow for comparison to data from UKCP18 climate projections. The dataset spans the period from 1836 to 2024, but the start time is dependent on climate variable and temporal resolution.
| Croissant File | https://gws-access.jasmin.ac.uk/public/eds_ai/high5/catalogue/croissant/ceda/ |
|---|---|
| Provided by | CEDA |
| More information | https://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/a6488cbe43ec470db2ff5bad64f84cb6/ |
| Underlying service type | /// |
| Licence | http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Land Surface UK, 1961-01-16 - 2024-12-16 |
| Resolution | 5km |
| Use case | Blue/Green Spaces |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | To be added |
Land Cover Map 2024 (10m classified pixels, GB)
This is a 10m pixel data set representing the land surface of Great Britain, classified into 21 UKCEH land cover classes, based upon Biodiversity Action Plan broad habitats. It is a two-band raster in GeoTiff format. The first band gives the most likely land cover type; the second band gives the per-pixel probability of the land cover. A full description of this and all UKCEH LCM2024 products are available from the LCM2024 product documentation.
| Croissant File | TBC |
|---|---|
| Provided by | EIDC |
| More information | https://doi.org/10.5285/4dd9df19-8df5-41a0-9829-8f6114e28db1 |
| Underlying service type | TBC |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Great Britain, 2024 |
| Resolution | 10m |
| Use case | TBC |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/ukceh_notebooks/UKCEH_LCM_API_access_101.ipynb |
Land Cover Map 2024 (10m classified pixels, N. Ireland)
This is a 10m pixel data set representing the land surface of Northern Ireland, classified into 21 UKCEH land cover classes, based upon Biodiversity Action Plan broad habitats. It is a two-band raster in GeoTiff format. The first band gives the most likely land cover type; the second band gives the per-parcel probability of the land cover. A full description of this and all UKCEH LCM2024 products are available from the LCM2024 product documentation.
| Croissant File | TBC |
|---|---|
| Provided by | EIDC |
| More information | https://doi.org/10.5285/4dd9df19-8df5-41a0-9829-8f6114e28db1 |
| Underlying service type | TBC |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Northern Ireland, 2024 |
| Resolution | 10m |
| Use case | TBC |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/ukceh_notebooks/UKCEH_LCM_API_access_101.ipynb |
Processed values of sea level from tide gauge stations Bangor
Long time series of reliable and accurate sea level measurements from the Bangor station, one of 43 gauges in the UK National Tide Gauge Network. BODC has a special responsibility for the remote monitoring and retrieval of sea level data from the network. Daily checks are kept on the performance of the gauges and the data are downloaded weekly. These are then routinely processed and quality controlled prior to being made available for scientific use.
| Croissant File | TBC |
|---|---|
| Provided by | BODC |
| More information | https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/hosted_data_systems/sea_level/uk_tide_gauge_network/ |
| Underlying service type | ERDAPP, supplying time series data |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Bangor, 1994- |
| Use case | offshore wind farm siting |
Processed values of sea level from tide gauge station Liverpool
Long time series of reliable and accurate sea level measurements from the Liverpool station, one of 43 gauges in the UK National Tide Gauge Network. BODC has a special responsibility for the remote monitoring and retrieval of sea level data from the network. Daily checks are kept on the performance of the gauges and the data are downloaded weekly. These are then routinely processed and quality controlled prior to being made available for scientific use.
| Croissant File | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/noc_notebooks/liverpool_sea_level.jsonld |
|---|---|
| Provided by | BODC |
| More information | https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/hosted_data_systems/sea_level/uk_tide_gauge_network/ |
| Underlying service type | ERDAPP, supplying time series data |
| Spatial and temporal extents | Liverpool, 1927- |
| Use case | offshore wind farm siting |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/noc_notebooks/noc_sea_level_demo.ipynb |
UKCP Local Projections on a 5km grid over the UK for 1980-2080
Convection permitting climate model projections produced as part of the UK Climate Projection 2018 (UKCP18) project. The data produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre provides information on changes in climate for the UK until 2080, downscaled to a high resolution (2.2km), helping to inform adaptation to a changing climate. The projections cover the UK and the time period 01/12/1980 to 30/11/2080 for a high emissions scenario RCP8.5. Each projection provides an example of climate variability in a changing climate, which is consistent across climate variables at different times and spatial locations. This dataset contains 2.2km data on a rotated pole regridded onto a 5km grid on the Ordnance Survey's British National Grid.
| Croissant File | https://gws-access.jasmin.ac.uk/public/eds_ai/high5/catalogue/croissant/ceda/ukcp_land-cpm_5km_rcp85_01_sfcWind_1hr_k1_0_croissant.json |
|---|---|
| Provided by | CEDA |
| More information | https://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/e304987739e04cdc960598fa5e4439d0/ |
| Underlying service type | /// |
| Licence | http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ |
| Spatial and temporal extents | UK, 1981-2080 |
| Resolution | 5km |
| Use case | Blue/green spaces |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | TBC |
Water Column CTD (Conductivity, Depth, Temperature) Profiles
Conductivity, Depth, Temperature data profiles of the water column at points along ship cruise lines around the world. The CTD profiles may include other water column parameters, for example chlorophyll pigment concentrations, transmittance and attenuance, concentration of suspended particulate material, and alkalinity, acidity and pH.
| Croissant File | TBC |
|---|---|
| Provided by | BODC |
| More information | https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/bodc_database/ctd/ |
| Underlying service type | ERDAPP, supplying NetCDF and ascii data |
| Spatial and temporal extents | 1969-2022, Global |
| Use Case | offshore wind farm siting |
| Demonstration use in notebooks | https://github.com/NERC-EDS/HIGH5forAI_DataAPIs/blob/main/notebooks/noc_notebooks/liverpool_sea_level.jsonld |