Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG)

What Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG) does

Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG) is the central scientific-technical environmental agency for the German state of Hesse, operating under the Hessian Ministry for Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and headquartered at Rheingaustraße 186, 65203 Wiesbaden. The agency has been operating for approximately 50 years and is the legally designated authority for environmental monitoring across all major media (air, water, soil, geology, climate, radiation, noise), nature conservation, and geological survey work in Hesse. Its mandate is anchored in EU directives (Water Framework, Environmental Noise, Bathing Water, Floods) as well as German federal environmental law.

HLNUG's core product platform is a unified WebGIS-based geo-application ecosystem of 15+ specialized viewers (BodenViewer, Starkregenviewer, Hitzeviewer, Lärmviewer, Wasserviewer, LGD-Viewer, Geologie-Viewer, Natureg-Viewer, WRRL-Viewer, HWRM-Viewer, Agrar-Viewer, Wind-Atlas, Weinbaustandort-Viewer, Emissionskataster, Bohranzeige-Portal) underpinned by GIS infrastructure, satellite remote sensing (including Copernicus), continuous air/water/groundwater/radiation/earthquake monitoring sensor networks, and the Messdatenportal central measurement data portal. The agency also operates the Naturschutzakademie Hessen for nature-conservation education and has developed public-facing mobile applications including the 2024-launched CO2-Diary for carbon footprint tracking.

HLNUG is funded entirely through the Hessian state budget as a public-sector government entity (Landesamt). It does not generate commercial revenue, has no shareholders, and provides all data products, viewers, and most publications free of charge as part of its public service mandate. Its primary user constituencies are the citizens of Hesse (environmental data and warnings), Hessian municipalities and local governments (urban planning, climate adaptation, agricultural administration), state ministries and higher-level authorities (policy analysis and reporting), and research institutions and universities (long-term monitoring datasets). Go-to-market is digital-first via the official website, WebGIS viewers, data portals, and mobile apps; physical publications are available through an in-house publications shop.

Name

Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG)

Legal name

Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie

Website

https://hlnug.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG) is the German state of Hesse's central environmental monitoring and geological survey agency, operating 15+ WebGIS viewers, real-time measurement networks, and mobile apps serving citizens, municipalities, and state ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Monitoring Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Space Research and Technology (92711), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC), Environmental Reporting, Dashboards & Regulatory Submittals (Automated Reports, e-Reporting) (EUAHAKAL), Continuous/Remote Monitoring Systems (IoT Sensors, Telemetry, Networks) (EUAHACAL), Environmental Data Integration, ETL & Interoperability (APIs, Standards, Data Pipelines) (EUAHAKAB), Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Environmental monitoring services
• Geographic information systems
• WebGIS viewer applications
• Air quality monitoring
• Nature conservation data

Headquarters

HQ city

Wiesbaden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HLNUG operates the official environmental, geological, and nature conservation monitoring and information platform for the German state of Hesse. It delivers real-time and historical measurement data on air quality, water quality, radioactivity, earthquakes, and noise, and publishes a suite of specialized WebGIS viewers (BodenViewer, Hitzeviewer, Starkregenviewer, Lärmviewer, Wasserviewer, Geologie-Viewer, HWRM-Viewer, WRRL-Viewer, Natureg-Viewer, Agrar-Viewer, Wind-Atlas, Emissionskataster) that make complex environmental geodata accessible to municipalities, professionals and the public. The agency also issues mobile applications including the CO2-Diary app and supports citizen science, climate adaptation projects (KLIMPRAX), and the Naturschutzakademie education programs.

Product overview

HLNUG operates as a comprehensive environmental monitoring and information platform for the German state of Hesse, consisting of a unified WebGIS-based viewer ecosystem complemented by mobile applications and data portals. The portfolio includes specialized viewers (BodenViewer, Geologie-Viewer, Hitzeviewer, Starkregenviewer, Lärmviewer, Wasserviewer, LGD-Viewer, HWRM-Viewer, WRRL-Viewer, Natureg-Viewer, Agrar-Viewer, Weinbaustandort-Viewer, Wind-Atlas) that provide interactive access to environmental geodata across soil, geology, climate, water, air, noise, nature conservation, and agriculture. These are supported by the central Messdatenportal for measurement data and complemented by consumer-facing mobile applications including the CO2-Diary app for carbon footprint tracking, the Badeseen Hessen bathing water portal, and integration with the federal Luftqualität app. The platform provides both specialized professional tools for environmental management and public information services for citizens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Naturschutzakademie Hessen (NAH): The Nature Conservation Academy of Hesse, offering educational events and programs related to biodiversity and sustainable development.
• KLIMPRAX
• Fachzentrum Klimawandel
• Hessische Biodiversitätsstrategie (HBS)

Products and services

• BodenViewer Hessen

Quantifiable outcome

• Continuous air quality monitoring at multiple stations across Hesse with real-time data publication
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature15 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Geoportal HessencoreTechnology or IntegrationGeoportal Hessen provides map compilation viewers for selected topics that access WMS (Web Map Services) from HLNUG. The Geoportal allows dynamic map display and attribute queries. HLNUG's map products are integrated into this state geoportal infrastructure, enabling broader access to Hesse's environmental geographic data.
• Hessische Zentrale für Datenverarbeitung (HZD)coreTechnology or IntegrationHZD serves as the technical service provider and hosting partner for HLNUG's internet offering. HZD maintains the internet infrastructure, data storage, and web analytics systems (Matomo) for HLNUG under HLNUG's specifications and direction.
• Hessisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Klimaschutz, Landwirtschaft und VerbraucherschutzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hessian Ministry for Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection is the parent/supervisory ministry of HLNUG. HLNUG operates under the ministry's authority and conducts monitoring and analysis in support of the ministry's policy objectives, including the implementation of the Hessian Biodiversity Strategy (HBS) and the '10-Punkte-Programm Leises Rheintal' for noise monitoring in the Middle Rhine Valley.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UK Environment Agency: A major non-German environmental regulator with overlapping mandate on flood risk, water quality monitoring, and citizen-facing environmental data platforms. Provides a useful international benchmark for state-level environmental agency scale and capability, though operating under a different governance model.
• European Environment Agency (EEA): The EU-level environmental agency consolidates state-level data (including from HLNUG) for pan-European reporting. Operates Copernicus-based environmental platforms and sets EU-wide data standards that HLNUG aligns with.
• Umweltbundesamt (UBA): Germany's federal environment agency operates at the national level and overlaps with HLNUG on air quality (provides the Luftqualität app), radiation protection, and environmental reporting. It is the federal super-ordinate that consumes state-level data and sets methodological standards HLNUG must follow.

Direct peers

• Niedersächsischer Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz (NLWKN): Lower Saxony's state operator for water, coastal and nature protection delivers analogous monitoring networks, flood/groundwater viewers, and nature conservation registers. Operates as a Landesbetrieb rather than Landesamt, but functionally comparable in mandate and offerings.
• Landesamt für Natur, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz NRW (LANUV): North Rhine-Westphalia's state environmental agency offers a directly comparable mandate (monitoring, WebGIS, citizen information) for Germany's most populous state. Its Fachinformationssystem and ELWAS-Web viewer ecosystem parallel HLNUG's umweltdaten.hessen.de infrastructure.
• Landesamt für Umwelt Brandenburg (LfU Brandenburg): Brandenburg's state environmental agency delivers monitoring networks, WebGIS viewers, and citizen-facing environmental information for another German Bundesland, with comparable scope to HLNUG on water, nature conservation, and climate topics.
• Landesamt für Geologie und Bergbau Rheinland-Pfalz: Another German state geological survey with a comparable portfolio of borehole databases, geological overview maps, hydrogeological viewers, and geohazard information. Directly comparable to HLNUG's Geologie-Viewer and LGD-Viewer products.
• Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt (LfU Bayern): The Bavarian State Office for the Environment is the closest structural equivalent to HLNUG — another large German Landesamt providing WebGIS viewers, environmental monitoring, flood information, and nature conservation services for its respective state. Operates the UmweltAtlas Bayern with a comparable suite of subject-matter viewers.
• Landesamt für Umwelt Baden-Württemberg (LUBW): Baden-Württemberg's merged state agency for environment, measurements, and nature conservation offers a comparable consolidated WebGIS (UDO — Umwelt-Daten und -Karten Online) covering air, water, soil, and noise — functionally analogous to HLNUG's umweltdaten.hessen.de.

Regional players

• Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE): A non-German but functionally equivalent national/regional environmental research and monitoring authority operating under the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. Offers comparable open-data environmental information services and viewer platforms.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HLNUG_Hessen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hlnug
• Instagraminstagram.com/hlnug_hessen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG)