Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC

What Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC does

Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL) is London's designated local environmental records centre, operating as a Community Interest Company (CIC) limited by guarantee (Company No. 8345552). Founded in 1996 as the Biological Recording Project and operating under the GiGL name since approximately 2006-2007, the organisation mobilises, curates, and shares environmental data for Greater London. Its core database holds over 12 million species records, 107,825 London Invasive Species Initiative records, 141,000+ butterfly records, and decades of historical records digitised from partner organisations including the London Natural History Society, London Wildlife Trust, and Royal Parks. The underlying technology stack is built on the Recorder database system and GIS platforms, with supplementary tools including the Discover London (iGiGL) interactive mapping portal, Cognito Forms for invasive species recording, and iNaturalist integration for citizen science projects.

GiGL serves five primary customer segments: ecological consultants (paid data search reports for planning applications), local planning authorities and London boroughs (SLA partnerships, biodiversity evidence for planning decisions), conservation organisations (data stewardship and evidence base), the wildlife recording community (free submission infrastructure and verification services), and students/researchers (data access for academic work). Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring SLA partnerships with 29+ organisations (boroughs, GLA, TfL, Royal Parks, conservation bodies), paid professional services in the form of comprehensive data search reports for consultants, and grant-funded project work (e.g., Mayor of London's Rewild Fund II, historical Defra/NBN funding). As a CIC, profits are reinvested into the social/environmental mission rather than distributed.

The organisation employs 11-50 staff across London-based offices, is governed by a Board of Directors with an Advisory Panel (GAP), and has no parent company, no private equity ownership, and no external funding rounds. Recent strategic emphasis has been on statutory positioning via London's first Local Nature Recovery Strategy with the GLA (2026), product expansion through the SINC Resource Hub, and project-based delivery including the London Water Vole Recovery Programme (2023) and Ancient Woodland Inventory Update Project (2021-2024). The 2026 John Sawyer Prize for Open Data from the National Biodiversity Network indicates recognised leadership in open biodiversity data.

Name

Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC

Legal name

Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC

Website

https://gigl.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Records and Biodiversity Data Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Environmental data management
• Biodiversity records centre
• Ecological data services
• Open space data
• Nature conservation consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SLA Partner Services: GiGL provides service level agreements to partner organisations including London boroughs, government agencies, and conservation organisations, offering data stewardship, access, and support services.
2. Data Search Reports: GiGL provides comprehensive biodiversity and open space information reports to ecological consultants for planning and development applications.
3. Community Interest Company: GiGL is a community interest company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 8345552), indicating a structure designed for social/environmental benefit rather than profit distribution.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GiGL is London's local environmental records centre, mobilising, curating and sharing biodiversity, species and open space data for Greater London. The organisation delivers data stewardship (digitising, verifying, storing biological records), data and insight services (habitat suitability modelling, policy evidence bases), visualisation services (maps, charts, infographics), and expert advice and consultancy for planning, conservation and policy stakeholders. It serves as a custodian of over 12 million species records on behalf of boroughs, government agencies, conservation organisations and ecological consultants.

Product overview

GiGL operates as a data services organization offering a platform of interconnected products and services centred on environmental data stewardship for Greater London. The core offering consists of Data Stewardship Services (digitising, curating and storing biological records), Data & Insight Services (analysis and modelling), Visualisation Services (charts, graphics, maps and infographics), and Advice & Consultancy Services. User-facing products include the Discover London (iGiGL) interactive mapping portal and Data Search reports for consultants. GiGL also delivers specialized programmes including the London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI), Water Vole Recovery Programme, and Dragonfly Detectives, supported by species submission forms and recording tools. The SINC Resource Hub supports London's Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation. These products are unified by GiGL's role as London's local environmental records centre, aggregating and sharing biodiversity and open space data with stakeholders to inform policy and practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Stewardship Services Curation service where GiGL digitises biological records, ensures data quality, provides secure storage, and makes data available for active use. Includes mapping tools and data collection tools such as survey forms and recording spreadsheets, used by partner organisations and consultants.
• Data & Insight Services Data analysis services including habitat suitability modelling, evidence base for policies, and Transport for London data services. Uses quantitative wildlife and green infrastructure data for statistics and analysis.
• Visualisation Services Production of charts, graphics, maps and infographics used by consultants, partners, media and arts. Used to map data or tell larger stories through visualisations.
• Advice & Consultancy Services Expert advice, signposting, advocacy, and partnership working services. Helps identify and demonstrate priorities for public policy and aids policy compliance, with training, mentoring and academic support.
• Discover London (iGiGL) Interactive Mapping Portal Online interactive mapping portal for exploring selected GiGL biodiversity and open space data, accessible to the general public.
• Data Search for Consultants Comprehensive biodiversity and open space data search reports for ecological consultants, providing baseline desk-top study data for planning applications.
• Species Submission Forms Range of online forms for submitting wildlife and green space information, including one-off records web-form and multi-records spreadsheet.
• London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI) Partnership initiative bringing together organisations to deliver action to prevent, control, and eradicate invasive non-native species (INNS) in London. GiGL acts as the data repository and host for LISI.
• SINC Resource Hub Online resource hub supporting the protection, management and understanding of London's Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs).
• Dragonfly Detectives Citizen science recording program for dragonflies, run in partnership with London Wildlife Trust.
• Water Vole Recovery Programme Multi-partner project to locate remaining water vole populations in London, including an online recording portal for water vole and American mink records.
• Ancient Woodland Inventory Update Project
• SLA Partner Services Service level agreements with 29+ partner organisations including London boroughs, government agencies, and conservation bodies, providing full data stewardship, access, and support services on a subscription basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only ~1% of suitable planning applications in London consulted GiGL despite ~18% being required to do baseline ecological studies (2016 research)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiGL hosts and is partnered with LISI, acting as a repository for invasive non-native species records. GiGL provides data management for the initiative and publishes the LISI Species of Concern list and London Invasive Species Plan.
• London Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiGL is co-located with London Wildlife Trust and collaborates extensively on biodiversity recording, Water Vole Recovery Programme, and community events including London Day of Nature.
• Greater London Authority (GLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiGL worked alongside GLA to produce London's first Local Nature Recovery Strategy and provides open space and habitat data for London Plan monitoring and All London Green Grid initiative.
• London Natural History Society (LNHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration where GiGL holds LNHS data going back to inception. GiGL provides species verification expertise and collaborated on The Butterflies of London atlas and Axiophyte project.
• Natural History Museum / Angela Marmont CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiGL collaborates on Urban Nature Project, London Recorders Day events, and provides data through the museum's Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity. Hosts annual events at NHM Flett Lecture Theatre.
• Field Studies Council (FSC) - BioLinks ProjectkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in London Recorders Day events. FSC's BioLinks project worked to increase invertebrate identification skills and provided hybrid event capabilities.
• Zoological Society of London (ZSL)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in London Water Vole Recovery Programme and river monitoring initiatives including sewage outflow monitoring and eel conservation.
• People's Trust for Endangered SpecieskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the London Water Vole Recovery Programme supporting water vole conservation and monitoring.
• Transport for LondonkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLA partner providing and receiving biodiversity and open space data for transport infrastructure planning and environmental assessment.
• Royal ParkskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLA partner with dedicated GiGL Royal Parks Officer embedded to implement data management systems mirroring GiGL's own systems.
• London BoroughscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple London boroughs hold SLA agreements with GiGL for biodiversity data access and submission. Partnership grew from 20 to 29 organisations.
• Design for LondonkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiGL works with Design for London providing evidence base for All London Green Grid strategic project on green infrastructure.
• English HeritageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence partnership for All London Green Grid project, contributing information on London's distinctive destinations.
• Environment AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence partnership for All London Green Grid project.
• Groundwork LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence partnership for All London Green Grid project.
• SustransminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence partnership for All London Green Grid project.
• London Bat GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner since GiGL's inception, sharing bat records and accessing GiGL's broader biodiversity database for planning support.
• Citizen ZookeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban rewilding organisation collaborating on baseline species surveys and recording at sites like Tolworth Court Farm.
• London Amphibian and Reptile Group (LARG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmerging partnership for amphibian and reptile recording and conservation in Greater London.
• South London Botanic Institute (SLBI)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to mobilise historic herbarium specimen data and recent BioBlitz and orchid survey data across Lambeth and Southwark.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre: Sussex's LERC providing biodiversity data and ecological evidence for planning and conservation. Directly comparable in scope, regional mandate, and customer base to GiGL.
• Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS): Norfolk's Local Environmental Records Centre providing biodiversity data, GIS mapping, and planning support. Directly comparable to GiGL as a regional LERC serving ecological consultants, planners, and conservation organisations.
• Lancashire Environment Records Centre (LERC): Lancashire's LERC providing environmental data, mapping, and advisory services to consultants, local authorities, and conservation bodies. Operates the same data stewardship and SLA model as GiGL.
• Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service: Suffolk's regional LERC providing biodiversity data search reports, data curation, and partner SLA services. Directly mirrors GiGL's service offerings and operating model.
• Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre (HBIC): Hampshire's LERC delivering species data, habitat mapping, and planning support services. Comparable to GiGL as a county-level environmental records centre with SLA and data search revenue models.
• Kent Biodiversity Records Centre: Kent's LERC providing verified species records, open space data, and ecological consultancy services. Closely comparable to GiGL in structure, customer base, and data stewardship mandate.

Broad incumbents

• NatureServe: US-based non-profit providing biodiversity data, conservation status assessments, and ecosystem services analytics. Comparable to GiGL in mission and data stewardship model, though operating at a national scale in North America.
• Biological Records Centre (BRC) at UKCEH: National UK centre for terrestrial and freshwater species recording, managing the UK's biological recording infrastructure. Comparable to GiGL at a national scale rather than regional, with overlapping data stewardship and partner ecosystems.
• National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Trust: UK-wide non-profit coordinating biodiversity data sharing across LERCs including GiGL. Operates as a national aggregator and data infrastructure provider, with overlapping mission around open biodiversity data and wildlife recording.

Emerging players

• iNaturalist: Global citizen science platform for sharing biodiversity observations. GiGL already integrates with iNaturalist for the Big City Bug Hunt and City Nature Challenge. Represents an emerging participatory data model that intersects with GiGL's recorder community strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/iGiGL
• Facebookfacebook.com/iGiGL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greenspace-information-for-greater-london
• Instagraminstagram.com/gigl_lerc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC