Accessibility Statement - NIEA Catchment Data Map Viewer
This statement relates to NIEA Catchment Data Map Viewer.
This website is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:
- some images do not have alternate text to allow them to be identified by screenreader users
- there are missing or empty form labels, so some users may not be able to identify what the input fields do
- there are empty headings or skipped heading levels, making it more difficult to follow the structure of the content
- mobile device users may not be able to increase the size of text
- form inputs have only a faint grey border, so may be difficult to see
- keyboard users may find it difficult to tab through parts of the application
- when a button or link receives focus, it may be difficult to see where it is
- some links open in a new tab without alerting users
What to do if you can't access parts of this website
If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this website, you can contact a DAERA Direct Regional Office.
- email DAERA Direct Regional Offices
- call 0300 200 7840
A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact the DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.
If you are unhappy with the quality of service received, in the first instance, you can make a complaint to DAERA.
Enforcement procedure
If you remain dissatisfied with the Department's final response to your complaint, you can refer your case to the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI), which is responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations. You can contact them.
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural AffairsClare House
303 Airport Road West
Belfast BT3 9ED
DAERA Headquarters map location
Call DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.
If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact the Department via Text Relay using the Next Generation Text Service (NGTS).
- Making a call from a textphone dial 18001 + number.
- Making a call from a telephone dial 18002 + number.
There are also various Text to Speech applications available to use.
Technical information about this website's accessibility
DAERA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications)(No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is non-compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Issues with technology
Input fields have a faint grey border which does not meet non-text contrast minimum of 3:1 (1.4.11: Non-text Contrast)
When tabbing to Layers checkboxes, it appears to be very difficult to escape the layers list. Have to access the dropdown menu and choose Move up/Move down.
When tabbing to 'Zoom to coordinate' or 'Draw/Measurement', whole panel receives focus but cannot bypass this to focus on contents of panel (2.1.2: No Keyboard Trap)Tabindex appears to be set for many elements on the user interface. Tabindex should not normally be set greater than 0 to preserve the visual order (2.4.3: Focus Order)
When a link or icon receives focus, a visible cyan-coloured border is observed around the user interface element. It would be preferable to increase the contrast of the border as it's not always clear, particularly against the blue areas on the map (2.4.7: Focus Visible)
The target size for some elements fall below the minimum 24x24px size, e.g. dropdown arrows on Layers checkboxes (2.5.8: Target Size (Minimum))
Alert users where links open in new window ('Crown copyright' and 'Terms and conditions'), as this is considered a change of context (3.2.2: On Input)
There are missing form labels throughout the various panels (3.3.2: Labels or Instructions)
Various unpermitted uses of ARIA - see notes below (4.1.2: Name, Role, Value)
Issues with text
Missing form labels on various panels incl. Layers/ZoomToCoordinate/Draw & Measurement (1.1.1: Non-text Content)
Empty form labels - Layer List checkboxes do not have a corresponding label (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
Empty headings or skipped heading levels (e.g. Enter coordinates - H6) (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
User-scalable='no' on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices (1.4.4: Resize text)
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- No PDFs or documents associated with this application.
Issues with images, video and audio
- Missing or incorrect/duplicate alternate text throughout, e.g. on icons and Legend key colours (1.1.1: Non-text Content)
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
The application is largely map-based - the map functionality cannot be made fully accessible at this time. Gov.uk advises that maps do not need to be fixed but that essential information should be available in an accessible format.
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 22 August 2024. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.
We chose to sample those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. The sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe testing tool and WAVE (Web Accessiblity Evaluation Tool). The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).
We tested:
- NIEA Catchment Data Map Viewer (application) - various panels (Layers, Legend, Draw, Measurement, Zoom to Coordinate, About )
What we're doing to improve accessibility
The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UX Checklist', we require developers to design software with accessibility compliance built in. In those circumstances where compliance cannot be met, reasons for this should be documented, along with steps for addressing issues. We also carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.
This statement was prepared on 23 August 2024. It was last updated on 23 August 2024.