DCE runs eight scientific data centres for the Danish Ministry of the Environment under NOVANA (the National Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environment), just as DCE carries out some of the monitoring for NOVANA. The eight scientific data centres are located at the Department of Ecoscience and the Department of Environmental Science. Aarhus University thereby ensures synergy between monitoring and research.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has the overall responsibility for NOVANA. You can find more information about NOVANA (in Danish only) on the Agency’s website. The scientific data centres have the overall responsibility for the professional organisation of monitoring, so that monitoring needs are met as well as possible within specific frameworks. 

NOVANA should support Denmark’s EU obligations as regards monitoring the environment and nature, and its own national requirements for knowledge about the state of the environment and nature for purposes such as preparing water and nature plans. As far as possible, the monitoring should also support the agreements Denmark has entered into regarding international monitoring conventions, including the HELCOM Convention for the Baltic Sea countries and the OSPAR Convention for the North Sea countries.