Using geospatial expertise to turn biomass policy ambition into action
National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information
To make better decisions, we must territorialise our European biomass policies and treat the interoperability of information systems as a strategic priority. By leveraging IGN’s geospatial expertise, shared standards and harmonised methodologies, we can produce robust, comparable and shareable data that connect forest and agricultural biomass across the entire value chain.
Sébastien Soriano Director-General, National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France (IGN-F)
Within the GIS Biomasse (Biomass Scientific Interest Group), IGN-F contributes its expertise in woody biomass by strengthening information system interoperability, analysing resources and biomass flows, modelling future harvesting dynamics, and enhancing geodata through a dedicated geoportal, thereby providing robust, comparable and shareable evidence to support informed public policymaking.
IGN-F achieved its objectives by mobilising long-term National Forest Inventory data to quantify woody biomass stocks, flows, and harvesting dynamics. It complemented this work with targeted studies using Earth-observation data and digital-elevation models to refine spatial analyses and improve the assessment of hedgerow biomass.
In parallel, IGN-F reviewed existing tools and conducted interviews with users within regional biomass units to identify data gaps, methodological discrepancies and operational requirements. Through multidisciplinary workshops with partners such as ADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition), INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) and FranceAgriMer (French Agricultural and Seafood Products Board), it fostered semantic harmonisation and technical interoperability, enabling information systems to interact e!ectively in support of national biomass-mobilisation policies.
Benefits
- Provides robust, interoperable reference data that strengthen public decision-making and support the design and implementation of national policies for sustainable biomass mobilisation.
- By enriching tools such as Cartofob and contributing to harmonised methodologies, IGN-F facilitates the work of Regional Biomass Cells, enabling them to validate projects (such as heating-plant installations) based on reliable assessments of local supply basins.
- Through its modelling capacities and its contribution to national indicators, IGN-F helps prioritise biomass uses according to regional and national resource pressures, thereby reducing potential conflicts between competing sectors.
- Reinforces national sovereignty by improving visibility on domestic biomass availability, reducing dependence on imported raw materials and supporting long-term strategic planning for bio-based industries.
- By integrating environmental, agronomic, and forest information, IGN-F promotes ecosystem services and supports sustainable management of agricultural, forest, hedgerow, and aquatic biomass resources.
- Improves transparency and accessibility of biomass information through portals, maps and open resources, making data understandable and usable for researchers, students, journalists, citizens, and local authorities.
- As a national operator for environmental data, IGN-F ensures coherence, interoperability and long-term maintenance of biomass information systems, enabling stakeholders to rely on shared and consistent datasets.
- By co-organising national events and supporting the animation of the biomass community, IGN-F fosters dialogue between scientists, policymakers and practitioners, strengthening collective capacity to plan the ecological transition.