Modelling environmental semantics is a prerequisite for model and data interoperabilty and reuse, both essential for integrated modelling. This paper previews a landscape where integrated modelling activities are performed in a virtual environmental information space, and identifies challenges imposed by the nature of integrated modelling tasks and new technology drivers such as sensor networks, big data and high-performance computing. A set of requirements towards a universal framework for sharing environmental data and models is presented. The approach is demonstrated in the case study of a semantic modelling system for wildlife monitoring, management and conservation.