What is The BIOMAP Project?

BIOMAP is a 7th Framework Programme Coordination and Support Action contract aiming to provide a complete information and dissemination tool for biofuels with main emphasis on technology development.

BIOMAP will provide detailed information both for European Commission contracts funded under Framework Programmes FP5, FP6 and FP7, the Intelligent Energy Europe programme as well as for industrial projects and plants developed by the industry.

Furthermore the BIOMAP includes also information on numerous players in the biofuel sector such as associations, industrial organisations, technology developers et al, and gradually will have information from all EU Member States on national legislation and research institutions per Member State. It also has a section on all relative standardisation work undertaken by CEN whether under EC mandates or independently.

Chronology

• March 2010: The first full version of the BIOMAP publicly demonstrated at the World Biofuels Market in Amsterdam.
• April 2010: The BIOMAP publicly demonstrated at the European Biofuels Technology Platform 3rd Stakeholder Plenary Meeting in Brussels.
• May 2010: The BIOMAP publicly launched at the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition in Lyon.
• June 2010: The BIOMAP website http://biomap.kcl.ac.uk released and made publicly available.

• Development on the BIOMAP is expected to continue until September 2010 in close consultation with biofuels sector stakeholders.
• It is anticipated that after its completion the maintenance and further population of the BIOMAP will be undertaken by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

Methodology

The BIOMAP is a high quality data biofuels sector map. Its structure and relationships have been developed through regular and detailed meetings involving the technical coordinator, Dr. Julie Tolmie of King's College London, the European Commission, the consortium domain experts, eBIO, EBB, NL Agency, and the project coordinators, Exergia.

The potential of the BIOMAP tool is realised through the identification of relationships across the high quality data sets. This knowledge is then encoded into a graph-based database and displayed to the user by means a list, geographical map, and non-geographical map, as shown below.

BIOMAP Data and Visualisation Model

The BIOMAP Data and Visualisation Model interrelates six main entity groupings: projects, plants, players, EC and National Framework Programmes, biofuel pathways and policy pathways.

The initial BIOMAP Data and Visualisation Model concept was developed by Dr. Julie Tolmie via a consultancy contract by the Directorate General for Energy and Transport as a test case for 3 EC funded contracts in 2007. Following the signature of the BIOMAP contract its final form and its final version was tabled in January 2009 following a scoping study based on fifty European Commission, National Member State and Industrial projects provided by the consortium partners. Follow up meetings with each partner scoped the relative importance of the projects provided and elaborated the factors which could not be captured in the mapping of projects.

Development of Templates

Individual sections of the BIOMAP were then developed including:

• templates for EC Contracts
• templates for industrial plants
• diagrams for internal plant processes, with technical expertise provided by the industry associations and the plant owners themselves
• diagrams for European Commission Framework Programmes
• diagrams for European Commission Policy, structured under DG ENER, DG ENV, DG AGRI, DG TAXUD, DG ENTR, DG SANCO
• diagrams for CEN Standards, with the descriptions of individual standards provided by CEN
• diagrams for European Commission mandates to CEN, showing the direct relationships between European Commission Policy and CEN Standards
• categories and icon types for biofuel sector players, elaborated on the basis of 300+ players
• a hierarchy for biomass resources, elaborated across agriculture, forestry, aquatic biomass and residues & wastes
• generic plant diagrams for biofuel pathways
• a glossary for biofuel sector entities, provided by IEA Bioenergy, with additional terms for bioethanol by eBIO.
• a National Member State Policy template
• index maps for the BIOMAP
• a collection of studies in the biofuels sector, available on the European Commission's website and others (currently under development).

Implementation and Testing

The BIOMAP has been implemented and tested through a number of trial maps and prototypes:

• April - June 2009: Prototype 1 (King's College London and Umeå Universitet)
  • Internal testing: BIOMAP consortium
• July 2009 - February 2010: Prototype 2 (King's College London)
  • External testing: Industry testers; European Commission testers (from DGs other than DG ENER)
• March - June 2010, ongoing: BIOMAP full version for public release (King's College London)

Current members of the Prototype 2 / BIOMAP full version implementation team: Tolmie; Romanello; Wang; Williams; Palmer
Former members: Brey; Ullah

Contact

To add your project or plant to the BIOMAP, or to provide information on national member state policy, national member state research players and/or national member states industrial plants, contact the BIOMAP Project Technical Officer, DG ENER, Dr. Kyriakos Maniatis at: Kyriakos.Maniatis@ec.europa.eu

For questions about the BIOMAP tool, including requests or suggestions for new features, feedback on design and functionality, and error reports, contact the BIOMAP Technical Coordinator, Dr. Julie Tolmie, at: julie.tolmie@kcl.ac.uk

To be included in the BIOMAP contact list, and to obtain more information on the BIOMAP project, its partners and objectives, contact the BIOMAP Project Coordinator, Ms Niki Komioti, at: n.komioti@exergia.gr

or visit the BIOMAP project website at http://eu-biomap.net/

Partners

The consortium consists of six international organisations with a strong reputation of high-quality expertise and provision of quality services in their respective fields. In addition the European Commission has played a critical role in the development of the BIOMAP.

EXERGIA (Project Coordinator)

EXERGIA is an independent firm of consultants operating internationally in the fields of energy and environment. It is a member of SESMA, the Hellenic Association of Management Consulting Companies (the Greek branch of FEACO).

The company, founded in 1991, maintains a rapid growth rate through expansion of its client base and development of its activities.
The cornerstone of EXERGIA is its highly qualified and dedicated staff with top educational background and wide professional experience. Its work is based on a decentralized organization, the application of state-of-the-art technology and a sound business attitude.

Contact details
EXERGIA S.A Energy & Environment Consultants
Address: Omirou str. & Vissarionos 1, 10672 Athens, GREECE
tel: +30 210 6996185, fax: +30 210 6996186

Contact person
Niki Komioti Energy Technology Dept. Director
Email: n.komioti@exergia.gr

King's College London (Technical Coordinator)

King’s College London is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious university institutions: a multi-faculty research-led university college based in the heart of London with over 19,700 students, of whom more than 6,200 are postgraduates. It is ranked as one of the world’s top 25 universities.

King’s location in the heart of London and its strength in law, humanities and the social sciences make it a major player in forging links between the arts, culture and universities, and in the development of public policy at national level. Its very broad range of subjects, including also physical sciences and engineering, are increasingly inter-related, notably in fields such as bioinformatics, health policy and medical humanities.

Contact details
26-29 Drury Lane
2nd Floor
London
WC2B 5RL
tel: +44(0)2078481420, fax: +44(0)2078482980

Contact person
Dr Julie Tolmie, Senior Research Fellow
Email: julie.tolmie@kcl.ac.uk

NL Agency

NL Agency is an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, which aims to promote sustainable development and innovation, both within the Netherlands and abroad. NL Agency provides companies, (knowledge) institutions and government authorities with advice, knowledge and financial support. NL Agency works on behalf of several Dutch ministeries, international organisations such as the European Union, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and foreign governments. NL Agency's projects are grouped into four themes: encouraging innovation; reducing climate change; towards sustainable energy and towards a better environment.

On the subject of biofuels NL Agency is implementing the GAVE programme , on behalf of three Ministeries (Spatial Planning, Housing and the Environment; Economic Affairs; and Transport, Public Works and Water Management). Gave stands for Climate Neutral Gaseous and Liquid Energy Carriers. GAVE actively supports the government and relevant market parties in their efforts to achieve the national and EU biofuel targets in a sustainable way. The parties involved are kept informed of the latest developments and meet regularly to exchange knowledge through a knowledge platform, network days and other activities that are frequently organised.

Contact details
Catharijnesingel 59
P.O. box 8242
3503 RE Utrecht
The Netherlands

Contact person
Ms Bregje van Keulen, Advisor Biofuels
Email: b.van.keulen@agentschapnl.nl

eBIO

Founded in 2005, eBIO serves as the voice of the European bioethanol fuel industry and has currently 60 members throughout the value chain of bioethanol fuel production.

Our objectives:

• Promote European policies and initiatives that lead to the increased production and use of bioethanol fuel.
• Participate in educational activities to increase public awareness regarding renewable fuels and the positive contribution they make to European energy independence, climate change and the economy.
• Provide eBIO members with the knowledge necessary for informed business decisions.

Contact details
eBIO
106, Rue Joseph II
B-1000 Brussels
tel: +32 2 657 66 79, fax: +32 2 657 93 57

Contact person
Mr. Robert VIERHOUT, Secretary General
Email: Vierhout@ebio.org

EBB

Grouping Major Biodiesel Producers and Promoting the use of Biodiesel in the EU

The European Biodiesel Board also known as EBB, is a non-profit organisation established in January 1997. EBB aims to promote the use of biodiesel in the European Union, at the same time, grouping the major EU biodiesel producers.
To achieve its aims, EBB

• represents its members to the institutions of the European Union and other international organisations
• promotes scientific, technological, economic, legal and research activities
• collects, analyses and disseminates information
• studies problems confronted by the biodiesel industry and suggests solutions at economic, political, legal, institutional and technical levels

Located in Brussels, with Mr. Raffaello Garofalo as Secretary General, EBB has achieved a high degree of visibility and confidence vis-a-vis the EU institutions and non-governemental organisations alike through its networking, information gathering and co-ordination activities.

Contact details
EBB European Biodiesel Board
Boulevard Saint Michel 34
1040 Brussels
Belgium
tel: +32 (0)2 763 24 77, fax: +32 (0)2 763 04 57

Contact person
Mr Adrian O’CONNELL
Technical Expert
Email: ao@ebb-eu.org

Umeå University

Umeå University was inaugurated in 1965, and ever since then the university has been growing both in size and content. UMU is in many cases at the absolute forefront of international research. There are some 27,000 undergraduate students and 1,300 doctoral students at the university. Many of the programmes and research projects are interdisciplinary.

HUMlab is a humanities IT environment at Umeå University. It is an interdisciplinary forum and part of the Faculty of Arts. Its high profile, the priority it has been given and the cutting-edge nature of the work carried out there have made HUMlab a significant component in the general strategy of the university. It is also a field of research in which the university has a leading position and researchers from widely disparate areas of study work together.

Contact details
Umeå Universitet, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Tel: +46 090 786 9286

Contact person
Mr. Fredrik Palm
Email: fredrik.palm@humlab.umu.se

Further Information on the BIOMAP entities.

This tab opens automatically when you click on the icon in the left hand panel of the BIOMAP tab.

HELP

FAQ

Summary:

1. Getting Started
2. Using the BIOMAP
3. Technical Considerations
4. Advertising on the BIOMAP
5. Understanding the Terms of Service

1. Getting Started

2. Using the BIOMAP

1. How does the BIOMAP work?

The BIOMAP is a search tool which provides the user with information concerning the projects mapped. It is also able to examine or analyse the various projects across time as BIOMAP is designed to consider only certain periods of time.

It is possible to see the developments and progress achieved in a particular area e.g. biofuels type, country, or organisation over time. It is possible to examine the same parameters across FP5, FP6 and eventually FP7. In addition, because of its unique focus on interactions between similar aspects of related projects, the BIOMAP can be employed to disseminate and showcase both the evolution and current state of networking activity across Europe.

2. Can I get the BIOMAP to display in a language other than English?

BIOMAP has been initially designed to work in English first, other languages will be considered as the project grows and develops.

3. What information must I report to the BIOMAP?

Users are not under any obligation to report information to the BIOMAP. However, users are of course welcome to contact the programmers in the event of their spotting an error, or if the user(s) wish to add their project to the BIOMAP.

4. Can I generate an image from the BIOMAP which I store and serve from my website?

Due reference must be made that the image originated from the BIOMAP, and the image may not be sold or trader for direct commercial gain.

5. I have added a project and now wish to remove my content from the BIOMAP, how do I do this?

You must email the site programmers with your request, stating the reasons for your decision and give precise details on the information you wish removed.

3. Technical Considerations

1. Can I use BIOMAP on mobile devices?

The BIOMAP has been initially optimised for use on standard PC’s, however further development for mobile device use may be considered.

2. Which web browsers is BIOMAP configured for?

BIOMAP is designed to work with the latest version of the main web browsers (i.e. Windows Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and Safari).

3. Which tools and Flash players does BIOMAP require?

BIOMAP requires a free-to use updated Flash player.

4. How do I report a bug or request a new feature in the BIOMAP?

Users whom spot a bug are kindly requested to email details of the error in an email to julie.tolmie@kcl.ac.uk.

The same process should be used when requesting or suggesting a new feature for the BIOMAP.

5. What screen resolution do I need to view the BIOMAP

A screen resolution of 1024x768 or higher is the recommended minimum. The lowest screen resolution the BIOMAP can be viewed on is 800x600

4. Advertising on the BIOMAP

1. Is there scope for adding advertising to the BIOMAP?

No, the BIOMAP is a non-commercial program designed for the free dissemination of information about biofuels and relevant projects.

5. Understanding the Terms of Service

1. What are the Terms of Service for the BIOMAP?

The BIOMAP is intended for free use by members of the public. It must not be used for commercial purposes by a third party.

2. Can I use the BIOMAP on a commercial website?

Although Commercial entities are free to use the BIOMAP, they should not portray the BIOMAP as their own work for which they are entitled to compensation.

3. Can I use the BIOMAP in a non-Web application?

BIOMAP may be used for the purposes of display or dissemination, for example in teaching applications or other non-profit instances.

4. Can I use the BIOMAP on a site that is password protected?

Access to the BIOMAP is not restricted, therefore it is recommended the link to the BIOMAP site is not password protected.

5. Can I use screen shots of the BIOMAP in printed materials or offline media?

BIOMAP screen shots may be used in printed materials or offline media, however this media should be free to the public, and due reference to the BIOMAP must be clearly made.