Background Many poor environmental management decisions are made in Europe often due to insufficient information. A lack of understanding about species can lead to inadequate habitat protection and ignorance of pollution sources can cause poor recreational planning. Spatial environmental information is essential for good decision-making and the avoidance of conflicts - integrated planning loses its credibility and effectiveness when the information on which it is based is vague. There are many different producers of spatial data, but availability of the information is often restricted due to their high price or poor accessibility. This dilemma is a widely recognised problem in the environmental sector worldwide. Objectives The project aimed at creating mechanisms to facilitate the availability and innovative use of spatial environmental data in Europe. The project sought to promote inter-institutional networking by developing tools for information exchange between organisations. This was to be based on a collaborative approach sharing environmental information using distributed internet-based services and Geographical Information Systems. The project foresaw the drafting of a document identifying requirements and guidelines for environmental information facilities. The establishment of a demonstration facility supporting environmental monitoring and management was planned in Finland, Estonia and Latvia. The project sought to facilitate an effective and open working culture, exploring and highlighting uses of spatial environmental information at regional, national, and international level. It hoped to promote networking in environmental decision-making and generate a body of knowledge for use in other EU countries. Results The ENVIFACILITATE project succeeded in developing and demonstrating accessible, technologically sustainable and user-friendly tools for the sharing of environmental spatial information. It increased the coherence of existing spatial data handling, providing key tools for planning sound environmental management, environmentally friendly land-use and sustainable development initiatives. The project developed interactive mapping tools providing users with access to the most recent data contents over the internet. The tools allow maps and databases to be overlaid to give a clear representation of the spatial data with dozens of alternative data layers available. For example, a direct link to the databases of Bird Life Finland enables any user to see the most topical bird observations over selected map layers. The Spatial Data Lending Facility delivers spatial data sets to interested users from 20 different sources. Over 700 users have already registered allowing them to download data free of charge for testing and research purposes; thousands of data downloads have been made. The UTU Spatial Data Archive provides a reliable long-term mechanism for archiving and disseminating the various digital spatial data contents. The ENVIFACILITATE project has contributed to the development of several national and international environmental information systems. These include: a Finnish marine and coastal map and database query service; Estonian environmental information facilities on protected areas, registered species and habitats, legislation and water bodies; and a viewer presenting coastal data from three countries. The project supported the networking of spatial information actors at regional level through the Lounaispaikka network in South-West Finland and developed an interactive service tool to allow the general public to engage in regional planning. The project directly contributed to the Finnish National Strategy of Spatial Information and engaged internationally through participation in specialist organisations such as GBIF, GMES and GEOSS. The project contributed to the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Directive and the Directive establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE), sharing know-how and experiences. The tools for information sharing and delivery are being transferred between the three participating countries and the project team has already secured funding for their future use. To increase the transferability of the results, the practical solutions and lessons learned in spatial environmental data collecting, archiving and use were carefully documented including an in-depth analysis of the project experiences. This project has been awarded the title of "Best of the Best" from a shortlist of 21 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2007-2008