How do you manage your Environmental Data?
Managing environmental data can be labour intensive with many repetitive tasks that are prone to human errors. As a result it is easy to become overwhelmed and get lost in piles of spreadsheets and paperwork.
If your organisation suffers from the above, here’s how an Environmental Data Management System (EDMS) can benefit your environment team. Tasks in managing your environmental data can generally be split into four main areas: “Plan-Do-Check-Act”. A dedicated environment data management system will help you and your team at all of the following stages.
Plan - Benefit 1
The chances are that you will have an environmental permit. This will outline the specific monitoring you have to do, where to do it, and at what frequency to measure. It will also detail any compliance limits and reporting periods. These permits should be placed in a structured plan. A good EDMS will facilitate a dynamic plan, managing its requirements often without the need for additional management input.
The MonitorPro EDMS favourite’s dashboard allows you to save key data views for easy access and analysis.
Do - Benefit 2
A good dynamic plan incorporates scheduling, informing relevant people of what needs doing, and alerting if it hasn’t been done on time. It should be able to prepare field visits for technicians so they know exactly what is required and can enter readings directly into their mobile devices.
The MonitorPro EDMS allows you to easily monitor schedules.
Check - Benefit 3
For environmental data monitoring and reporting, a large amount of checking is always required and certain questions are always asked.
- Has the correct monitoring been done?
- Has the lab sent back the correct results?
- Are they in compliance?
- Are they even physically possible readings?
- Are the dates correct, are sample point and parameter names spelled correctly and consistently, etc.
An EDMS can automatically check all the questions and mark them off against the master plan. In the case of a mobile device with a field visit pre-loaded, readings can be automatically and immediately checked for compliance. The manager can now easily see the status at a glance.
Once data is held in a secure, quality checked the database, further, checking can be done by comparing various data sets against one another with interpretation tools such as maps, contour plots, graphs, and interpretive reports. Such collation and interpretation if done manually are fraught with the increased likelihood of copy/paste errors, duplication, and other human errors. It can also be time-consuming and complex formatting and arranging data sets to be acceptable for e.g. GIS, contouring, reporting tools, and spreadsheets. An all-in-one system with tools layered over the data and easily accessible saves large amounts of time and effort.
The MonitorPro EDMS allows you to check your obligations.
Act - Benefit 4
Immediately on detection of a compliance breach, an EDMS can alert the appropriate people by email or SMS so that they can take appropriate action. Moreover, in such circumstances, regulators often require notification within a short period (possibly 24 hours as in the UK’s Schedule 6 requirements).
The EDMS can populate and deliver this pre-prepared to the manager with whatever relevant information the database has, for example again with Schedule 6, all other breaches at the same location over the last 18 months might be required. Imagine sifting through spreadsheets to try and accurately obtain this information!
Easily track and check your compliance reports with the MonitorPro EDMS.
If follow-on tasks arise from e.g. a compliance breach, these can also be managed in an EDMS. The EDMS will be aware of reporting periods. It will know which reports need producing about what information they should contain and who should receive them. It can automatically collate reports and deliver them to appropriate recipients.
About MonitorPro
The complete, professional environmental data monitoring solution, MonitorPro is the IT solution trusted by environmental teams worldwide to manage their environmental compliance and data collection. MonitorPro is a web-based or locally hosted solution for the collation of ALL sources of environmental data, where it is generated by loggers, laboratories, weather stations, calculations, or other data repositories. MonitorPro is the first EHS Software solution to receive an MCERTS accreditation from the Environmental Agency.
About EHS Data
EHS Data is a world leading UK based software company providing Environmental Data Management Solutions to over 1,000 sites in 40 countries worldwide. For over 20 years, our versatile software solution, MonitorPro, has helped organisations save time, improve planning, quality control, site analysis and reporting to manage environmental obligations and sustainability.
ISO 27001
EHS Data is ISO 27001 certified.
A Carbon Negative Business
In 2020, EHS Data attained Carbon negative status and is committed to maintaining this status each year.
