AI-powered search improves environmental assessments

the Danish Environmental Portal

Improving environmental assessments with AI-powered search

Challenge

Environmental assessments from across Denmark were scattered across multiple systems and could not be searched collectively. Traditional search tools had inherent limitations, leading case officers, consultants, and advisors to spend unnecessary time searching for information, while valuable knowledge was not always available when it was needed most.

Solution

In collaboration with Darize, the Danish Environmental Portal developed the AI-powered search capabilities in EA-Hub, a shared platform that brings together environmental assessments and appeals board decisions from across Denmark. Using natural language search, users can find relevant information without relying on exact keywords.

Impact

Shorter processing times, fewer errors, and better-informed decisions, helping green infrastructure projects move from concept to implementation faster without compromising quality.

Challenge

When important knowledge is difficult to find

Before a major infrastructure or construction project can begin, an environmental assessment must be conducted to ensure the project’s impact on the surrounding environment complies with regulatory requirements. This is a highly specialized task that requires knowledge of previous projects, local practices, and relevant rulings documented in reports that can each exceed 1,000 pages.

To support a growing number of green infrastructure projects across Denmark, DEP took its first step toward more knowledge-driven decision-making in 2023 by bringing together all environmental assessments and decisions from relevant appeals boards into a single searchable platform: EA-Hub.

Traditional search tools had inherent limitations. It was not always possible to find relevant knowledge across projects, meaning that case officers, consultants, and advisors spent unnecessary time searching for information, while valuable insights were not always available when they were needed most.

Solution

AI-powered search: from the right keywords to the right answers

In collaboration with Darize, the Danish Environmental Portal has developed advanced AI-powered search capabilities across all data within the EA-Hub platform. Users no longer need to know the exact technical terms or navigate complex registries. Instead, they can ask questions in natural language, much like they would with large language models such as ChatGPT, and receive answers in the form of relevant text excerpts that point directly to the location of the information within the source document.

The AI-powered search is semantic, with a deep understanding of the content of environmental assessments. It understands not only words, but also meaning and context. As a result, it can identify relevant content even when exact keywords are not used in the search query, consistently returning more comprehensive and relevant results than traditional search methods. All results are based on the latest and most up-to-date information available within the platform.

The strength of the solution lies in the combination of advanced AI-powered search and a large, specialized dataset. Large language models perform best when working with well-defined, domain-specific data, and EA-Hub provides exactly that.

qustomer perspective

“We’ve been surprised by how much knowledge the AI-powered search in EA-Hub is able to uncover. That knowledge has always been there in the reports, but now case officers and advisors can access it quickly and precisely. Those ‘dead’ PDF documents have come to life. For us, EA-Hub is the first step toward a future where we actively use data to support faster and better environmental decision-making. The green transition requires us to act on complex knowledge, and AI gives us the tools to do exactly that.”

Nils Høgsted

Director, The Danish Environmental Portal

Impact

Benefits for case processing

Efficiency

Case officers spend significantly less time searching for relevant information and can instead focus on the professional assessment itself.

Quality improvements

Easier access to relevant historical information and case law strengthens the foundation for decision-making and helps ensure more consistent, accurate environmental assessments with fewer errors. In addition, semantic search enables users to find more relevant documents than traditional search methods, always drawing on the latest and most up-to-date knowledge available in the platform.

Faster onboarding

New employees can quickly get up to speed with existing knowledge and established practices, reducing both onboarding time and the risk of errors.

AI as the foundation for the future of environmental management

AI-powered search in EA-Hub is only the beginning. It is part of a broader AI strategy aimed at positioning the Danish Environmental Portal as a leader in data-driven environmental decision-making, where AI not only helps users find knowledge but also actively supports decision-making processes and improves the quality of environmental assessments.

About the Danish Environmental Portal

The Danish Environmental Portal (DEP) is a public-sector partnership between the Danish government, municipalities, and regions. Its mission is to provide the data and IT infrastructure that enables environmental considerations to be integrated into relevant decision-making across society.

DEP delivers data to more than 200,000 direct users and to over 100 external systems, serving approximately 3 million users. Its vision is to unlock the full value of data for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across Denmark.

DEP’s latest initiatives include digital support for the Danish Green Tripartite Agreement, expanded marine environmental monitoring, protection of clean groundwater and drinking water resources, and enhanced support for environmental assessments.