The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN; http://easin.jrc.ec.europa.eu) aims to facilitate the exploration of existing alien species information from distributed sources through a network of interoperable web services, and to assist the implementation of European policies on biological invasions. The network allows extraction of alien species information from online information systems for all species included in the EASIN catalogue. This catalogue was based on an inventory of reported alien species in Europe that was produced by reviewing and standardizing information from 43 online databases. It includes information on taxonomy, synonyms, common names, pathways of introduction, native range in Europe, and impact. EASIN catalogue entails the basic information needed to efficiently link to existing online databases and retrieve spatial information for alien species distribution in Europe. Using search functionality powered by a widget framework, it is possible to make a tailored selection of a subgroup of species based on various criteria (e.g., environment, taxonomy, pathways). Distribution maps of the selected species can be produced dynamically and downloaded by the user. The EASIN web tools and services follow internationally recognized standards and protocols, and can be utilized freely and independently by any website, while ownership of the data remains with its source, which is properly cited and linked.

The European Atlas of Natural Radiation is a collection of maps displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It has been developed and is being maintained by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, in line with its mission, based on the Euratom Treaty: to collect, validate and report information on radioactivity levels in the environment of the EU Member States. This work describes the first version of the European Atlas of Natural Radiation, available in digital format through a web portal, as well as the methodology and results for the maps already developed. So far the digital Atlas contains: an annual cosmic-ray dose map; a map of indoor radon concentration; maps of uranium, thorium and potassium concentration in soil and in bedrock; a terrestrial gamma dose rate map; and a map of soil permeability. Through these maps, the public will be able to: familiarize itself with natural environmental radioactivity; be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources; have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the European population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor; and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence, to better assess the latter. Work will continue on the European Geogenic Radon Map and on estimating the annual dose that the public may receive from natural radioactivity, by combining all the information from the different maps. More maps could be added to the Atlas, such us radon in outdoor air and in water and concentration of radionuclides in water, even if these sources usually contribute less to the total exposure.

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The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) was created with the aim to provide easy access to accurate information on alien species in Europe. EASIN allows the retrieval of spatial information from existing online data providers in order to produce integrated georeferenced distribution maps of alien species in Europe. In November 2012, a new data provider, the Hellenic Network on Aquatic Invasive Species (ELNAIS), joined EASIN; this has significantly increased the available georeferenced information on marine/estuarine alien species in Greece. Here, we use maps created by EASIN to show differences in patterns of distribution in the Greek Seas for the most abundant Phyla of marine alien species -Mollusca, Arthropoda, Chordata and Annelida. We also show that the two main pathways of introduction of marine alien species (Lessepsian migration and shipping) are related to different patterns of species spatial distribution in Greece. Overall, the tools provided by EASIN can greatly aid scientists and policy makers in obtaining high quality information on marine alien species in Greece, especially after the association with ELNAIS.

Abstract. During the early phase of an accident with the release of radioactive material to the environment at the local or transboundary scale, a rapid and continuous system of information exchange, including real-time monitoring data to competent authorities and the public, is critical for setting up countermeasures. This information and data exchange must be carried out in a harmonized and consistent manner to facilitate its interpretation and analysis. After the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and in order to avoid the competent authorities being unprepared again for a similar event, the European Commission (EC) defined and put in place a directive (Council Decision 87/600/EURATOM, 1987) which essentially obliges a member state that decides to implement widespread countermeasures to protect its population to notify the European Commission without delay. The same Council Decision also specifies that the results of radiological monitoring must be made available to the European Commission and all potentially affected member states. Over the past 30 years, the European Commission has invested resources in developing and improving a complete system to carry out this delicate task, currently composed of two platforms: the European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange (ECURIE) and the European Radiological Data Exchange Platform (EURDEP). This paper aims to increase knowledge of the latter system as a valuable tool for understanding and analysing the radioactivity levels in Europe. Commencing with background information, in this paper, we will describe the EURDEP system in detail, with an emphasis on its status, data availability, and how these data are diffused depending on the audience. Within the scope of this publication, we describe an example of measurements available in the EURDEP system, which to be used for scientific purposes. We provide two complete datasets (air-concentration samples – https://doi.org/10.2905/23CBC7C4-4FCC-47D5-A286-F8A4EDC8215F; De Cort et al., 2019a; and gamma dose rates – https://doi.org/10.2905/0F9F3E2D-C8D7-4F46-BBE7-EACF3EED1560; De Cort et al., 2019b) for the recent radiological release of 106Ru in Europe, which occurred between the end of September and early October 2017. Records stored are publicly accessible through an unrestricted repository called COLLECTION belonging to the JRC Data Public Catalogue (https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu, last access: 1 July 2019).