Let’s talk about forecast charts, the exciting visualization tool coming this fall to Locus’s EIM application. If you make a time series chart in EIM, you will soon have two options. 

You can use the current chart options to show a time series as a simple line graph. These charts are quick representations of changes in your data over time. However, EIM assumes your data does not have regular patterns, such as variations in groundwater level due to seasonal rainfall. 

If your data does show seasonality – daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly cycles – you can soon use the new forecast charts in EIM. These charts account for seasonality and display a forecast trend line. The charts also show outlier points that are outside the expected range as calculated from a specified confidence interval. The charts also can show change events, which are dates when the trend changed significantly. 

The new forecast charts expand the power of EIM. Time series charts show changes in your data and help you understand why changes occur. The new seasonal analysis highlights regular patterns that might be ‘lost in the noise’ of your entire data set, so you can distinguish random fluctuations from periodic variations. Trend lines and outliers show which direction your data is changing, and how it might change in the future. With this information, you can make decisions to support your business processes at your facilities.