GeoBI-Business-Intelligence-geospatial-environmental-data-maps

GeoBI

Business intelligence (BI) is a critical component of any organization. BI lets you analyze data on your processes and products, so you have the information needed to make decisions and take actions to improve your business’s performance. BI applications have been available for several years, with offerings from many companies including Microsoft, Oracle, SAS, Qlik, and Tableau.

Initially, BI was focused on just a few areas such as finance, logistics, and sales. As BI effectiveness evolves you need information covering all aspects of your business. One key information set is spatial information, which is usually managed in a geographic information system (GIS). GIS applications have been available since 1965 but only became widely commercially available in the 1980s when ESRI released its first GIS applications. Since then, GIS has spread from the desktop to mobile devices and the cloud.

Often, an organization’s spatial data is separate from other data, kept in its own department or application. For example, your organization might have a GIS department that manages geographic information for your facilities. However, spatial data might also be in other departments such as sales (locations of clients); physical plant (buildings, infrastructure, assets); logistics (sales or delivery routes), or even human resources (safety incident locations). It can be challenging to bring together these disparate spatial data sources and integrate them with non-spatial data stored in spreadsheets, databases, files, and other data warehouses.

Several recent business trends, however, have made it much easier to bring together both spatial and non-spatial information to support GeoBI or Geographic Business Intelligence. First, the rise and ubiquity of the internet ‘cloud’ has made it possible for an organization to put all their data into the cloud. Your business staff can now access all your data, regardless of the physical location of the data or your staff. Second, GIS has evolved from its earlier days when it was a way to automate traditional cartography. Now, GIS supports advanced spatial analysis and visualization techniques, including buffering, contouring, interpolation, network analysis, and 3D mapping. And third, new applications and methods have broken the barriers between spatial and non-spatial data. GeoBI software applications can manage both types of data, letting you combine all your data for analysis and visualization. Applications that don’t explicitly support both types can be connected through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs) for seamless transfer of data.

GeoBI and Locus

Locus Technologies has been a leader in bringing GeoBI to environmental data management. Locus’ software supports non-spatial data analysis via reporting, charting, and expert query functionality. The Locus GIS+ add-on lets you add spatial data to your analysis with the GIS+ functions for spatial query, data classification, time series analysis, buffering, and contouring. Let’s look at some examples.

  • Water quality: Clean water regulations may require your facility to identify and report any instances of chemical concentrations in water sources that are above certain action limits. To do this, you can load analytical results from chemical sampling into the application. Once the data is loaded, you can add the sampling results to the GIS+ along with overlays of plant assets, watersheds, aquifers, and other relevant geographic information. You can quickly generate maps showing concentrations at sample locations. In this way, you can identify ‘hotspots’ where your facility may be in non-compliance with regulatory requirements.

    The example below shows the GIS+ displaying tritium results from water samples along with watershed boundaries. The map represents each location with a symbol that is colored and sized to reflect the actual maximum value at that location. You can easily see spatial patterns and identify two areas of concern near the center of the map – one with orange and yellow circles, and another with red circles. You could then use other functions, such as charting or contouring, to further explore the results at these locations.
     

  • Air quality: Your facility may fall under clean air regulations such as the US EPA’s 40 CFR Part 60 Subpart OOOO standards. In short, this subpart establishes emission standards and compliance schedules for the control of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions). As an environmental manager, you could simply use a BI program to write and run a text query such as show me all emission assets that have exceedances under 40 CFR Part 60 Subpart OOOO 
     
    However, Subpart OOOO often applies to the Oil and Gas industry where maps and GIS are heavily utilized. If you have data and maps, you can associate a data query to an area that is “lassoed” on the map. The example below shows several emission sites that have been grouped together by a user-drawn area. Locus shows a table of all data for the “lassoed” locations, including analytical results and regulatory exceedances. By simply putting a lasso around another set of emission locations, the query is automatically updated with the relevant results. No query needs to be written – you just need to lasso locations on a map! 
  • Safety: In a similar fashion, safety personnel can use a map to find different incident categories without having to train on reporting and query detailsWhen an incident occurs, efficiency of logging the essential information is paramount, and simple pulldown list coupled with graphics expedite the process when time is of the essence.   
     
    Below is a map where the manager and incident for rapid input was pinned to a location and for follow-up on a particular region the manager can apply a lasso query to list all Significant Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs), for root cause and other analysis.

GeoBI and You

The above examples show how GeoBI can bring all your data together for use in analysis and decision-making, leading to a more complete picture of your facilities and processes. Furthermore, by having one suite of applications for your GeoBI needs, your organization can be more efficient. If spatial and non-spatial data are in separate silos, accessible only by different staff, it is difficult for one person to perform a complete analysis. Files, maps, spreadsheets, and other data objects must be shuffled between different persons and applications. With your data in Locus software, a full GeoBI analysis can be performed by one person, leading to productivity gains and cost reductions.

In the future, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to GeoAI, which would combine GeoBI with powerful features such as predictive analytics, pattern mining, and anomaly detection. Stay tuned for a future blog post on these exciting possibilities!

Acknowledgments: All the data used in the examples was obtained from the publicly available chemical datasets online at Intellus New Mexico. 

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    When looking for a GHG reporting program, there is one element that is typically overlooked. This short video gives us more insight.

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    In this short video Africa Espina, Manager of Environmental Services, discusses Locus Technologies’ expertise in site investigation and characterization services. Locus utilizes cutting-edge tools and techniques to conduct thorough site investigations. This includes site reconnaissance, sampling, and monitoring to assess soil, groundwater, surface water, and air quality.

    By employing both traditional and innovative sampling methods, such as direct push technology and high-resolution site characterization, Locus ensures accurate and representative data collection.

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      Being able to easily log into your account across multiple platforms is one of the many things that differentiates Locus Technologies software from competitors. Tricia Walters, EIM Product Manager, shares tips in this short video to make your work portable and to easily continue your work across platforms.

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        Vice President of Data Management and Visualization, Todd Pierce, highlights an example of Locus Technologies’ excellent customer service and problem-solving for environmental data challenges.

        One of the benefits of working with Locus Technologies is the customer service we provide. We are constantly improving our software based on input from our customers. If you have an idea on how you’d like your environmental software to work, tell us about it and you’ll likely see in an upcoming update.

        With the help of our users over the past 25 years, Locus software has grown to support the current needs for environmental data professionals.

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          Scientific calculations are an essential aspect of many fields of study, including physics, chemistry, and engineering including environmental engineering. These calculations involve complex formulas and equations that are often too time-consuming and challenging to solve by hand. Fortunately, programming languages and software have made it easier for scientists and researchers to carry out scientific calculations quickly and accurately. Software plays a vital role in environmental calculations, as it provides scientists and researchers with a powerful tool for analyzing and interpreting complex data related to the environment. Environmental engineers need to deal with vast amounts of data that must be analyzed to draw meaningful conclusions. The environmental field encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including climate science, ecology, and environmental engineering, and each of these areas requires specific types of calculations that can be performed more efficiently and accurately using computers.

          In recent years, many programming languages have been developed that are specifically designed for scientific computing. These languages, such as MATLAB, Python, and R, are powerful tools for numerical analysis and data visualization. However, programming for environmental calculations poses some challenges. One of the primary challenges is ensuring that the code is accurate and reliable. Even small errors in the code can lead to significant errors in the results, which can have serious consequences for environmental decision-making.

          Collections of environmental data in an enterprise pose another set of challenges, including gathering data from all business units and ensuring the accuracy, accessibility, interoperability, and privacy of data. Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, collaboration, and the adoption of standardized data formats and protocols.

          Software applications developed at Locus like Environmental Information Management (EIM), Greenhouse Gas, Air Emissions and Sustainability address these challenges by offering tailored solutions for environmental scientists. One of the key advantages of using these applications is that it allows scientists to automate many of the tedious and time-consuming tasks involved in data collection, scientific calculations, analysis, and regulatory reporting. These applications have gone through extensive testing ensuring accurate and reliable results and the automation can make regulatory reporting a breeze when time is of the essence.

          In conclusion, scientific calculations are an essential aspect of environmental engineering, and Locus offers powerful tools for performing these calculations quickly and accurately. By using Locus software, scientists and researchers can automate tedious tasks, process large datasets, and extract valuable insights from the environmental data of the organization.

           

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            David Wright, Senior Product Manager at Locus Technologies, shares his experience with the Locus Technologies air quality application for environmental data management and reporting.

            The unified approach, low cost, and simplicity it provides in handling vast amounts of air quality monitoring data and regulatory reports set the software above the rest. The application offers mapping, formatted outputs, and charts, enabling streamlined and consolidated management of crucial environmental information.

            The Environmental Information Management (EIM) system proves beneficial for multiple users and reports for different agencies, eliminating spreadsheet-related risks and hassles. The centralized data entry reduces the time and errors associated with submitting to multiple agencies.

            Watch the video to learn more about the benefits of Locus Technologies Software.

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              DMR-EDD-Graphic-EIM-software-locus-federal-state-municipality-labs-data

              Almost everyone has run into Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) and Electronic Data Deliverables (EDDs) when managing and reporting environmental data. And almost everyone hates them. So, what do these things have in common? They should all be the same, yet they are all different with a wide range of variations.   

              For EDDs, every data system (Federal, State and Commercial) requires a different format for data submittal. Some want you to manually fill in an online form, some want a CSV file in a specific format, and some want XML files, also in various formats. Analytical laboratories have to produce and maintain a wide range of formats from their LIMs systems to meet the demands of the different receiving systems, and commercial data systems have to produce a wide range of exports to go to various agencies. Even agencies like the EPA don’t have a single uniform regulatory export format for all the various regions. And basically, this is all the very same analytical laboratory data, just delivered in multiple formats, all of which require configuration and maintenance by dedicated IT professionals.  

              Many EDDs are submitted as a single flat file (one row equates to one record), but the number of columns and different data rules. However, state-specific formats can have other more complicated formats. One prime example is California’s Electronic Deliverable Format (EDF) which can require 3 or 5 files that contain various information parsed out into different record sets. The records in the different files can have one-to-many or many-to-many relationships.   

              DMRs are another area of constant challenge and frustration. The EPA tried to provide a uniform submittal process with NetDMR, but it failed to work when individual states or local cities were the responsible agency vs the EPA. So not only are there format submittal variations, but there is also a wide variation in how DMR parameter limits are calculated and reported. Yes, receiving waters will vary by location and concerns for the constituents of the discharge, but it would be a huge step forward to have a set of consistent rules to apply to all DMRs.   

              The lack of uniform parameter codes is also another source of frustration. Most commercial data systems and laboratory LIMS systems rely on the uniform Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) numbers to identify a parameter. These codes are used worldwide and commonly accepted. DMRs typically require the more obscure STORET codes (see example below) used by older EPA data systems

              StoretCodes-DMR-EDD

              For all these reasons, DMRs and EDDs are much disliked by anyone managing environmental data for a living. Both processes would benefit from a uniform set of standards and a historical data update to streamline data management and reporting for all parties. However, just as with cars, Locus knows how to help you manage your EDDs and DMRs, just as a mechanic can fix different auto makes/models. 

               

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                Wading through the labyrinth of data to calculate your ESG can be a daunting task. To ease your burden, Locus Technologies has created the Locus Calculation Visualizer, making the process easy. In this short video Steve Paff, Director of Sales Engineering, shows how easy it is to gain actionable insights into your reported ESG data.

                For more information, click the link below.

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                  For 26 years, Locus Technologies has been helping organizations that serve millions of people a day. Throughout that time, our team of experts have noticed some common red flag with the alternative solutions that are available on the market. The alternatives can be more problematic that helpful, creating data congestion and slowing down your workflow. Your organization deserves a solution that alleviates the burdens of data entry, regulatory compliance, voluntary reporting, and more. Here are the top five signs that your organization is using outdated water software:

                  1. Using paper form and/or transcribing data more than once

                  To ensure the highest level of data quality, you should not be risking human error at multiple levels. Enter your data once, and have it audit-ready, set to go on regulatory and voluntary reports, which are created directly from Locus Software.

                  2. Software support is not led by the specialist.

                  Support doesn’t end after implementation. What we often hear from our customers when they switch from other providers is that they are delighted with the level of support that Locus brings with our software. Locus is proud to have the expertise and experience to back our software, and if there is anything you need, you can be sure that Locus support can get it done smoothly.

                  3. The software has regular or unexpected downtimes.

                  You need reliability. Your software should be available to you on-demand. Locus is proud to be the only environmental software developer to publicly share our uptime, which is over 99.9%. If you are experiencing downtimes at inconvenient times or for long periods, you should switch.

                  4. It’s not mobile-enabled.

                  Field collection is key for most organizations managing water quality data. You should be able to enter that data into your system once, and from anywhere, reducing errors and extra time doing the same work twice (or more!). Also, being able to access historical data at your fingertips can help you solve problems on the fly.

                  5. It doesn’t provide actionable insights.

                  Sure, you may have all your data collected, but what are you doing with it? If your software is not giving you meaningful findings from analyzing your data, then you are always going to be playing catch-up. Having the tools to help your organization look forward is essential in selecting water data management software.

                  Want to learn more about our Water Data Management Solution? Reach out to our product specialists today!

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