laboratory informatics ➤
not only improved usability for users of the tools, but also greatly reduced network load during business hours as Spotfire is able to cache the data loaded overnight for use during that day. Where live data is required, or the data
sets are too large to be preloaded, it is made available in SEPA’s Oracle driven data repository which is specifically designed for efficient and fast retrieval of large datasets, rather than querying data against slower corporate systems designed for data entry and storage. Tis
policy of moving all datasets required for reporting and analysis into this optimised repository, rather than accessing the live data sources, greatly enhanced our ability to analyse large volumes of data, as well as combining previously disparate datasets to further enhance our analysis and modelling capabilities.
Better communication Tis initiative has greatly improved efficiency, not only by providing instant access to standardised analyses and reports,
Case Study 3: Diffuse pollution farm inspection analysis
but also by replacing laborious, error- prone Excel-driven processes with these informatics tools. Te quality of the stored data is better because the opportunities for human error have been reduced in this way and so we have greater confidence in the data. Because the system now exposes large amounts of data in an easy to use and understandable manner, we can make better decisions on the basis of a better understanding of our environment. It also allows us to bring together previously disparate datasets to build a much more complete picture of regulation and the environment. By combining these datasets we have
also increased the value and impact of each dataset: i.e. the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Furthermore, we are able to communicate data and information more clearly and external parties can
WE CAN MAKE
BETTER DECISIONS ON THE BASIS OF A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR ENVIRONMENT
access the information, as we publish informatics tools externally through Scotland’s Environment Web website (
www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get- interactive/discover-data/ ) and SEPA’s own website (
www.sepa.org.uk/ ). ESIU is developing an ever increasing
SEPA invested in a tablet-based method for performing inspections of farms in priority catchments in Scotland. The data collected using the tablets was then moved into our Oracle systems when staff returned to a SEPA office. Each farm inspection provided a highly detailed review of the farming activities, as well as putting these into geographical context. However, to analyse such a large volume of data would take considerable effort. To tackle this we developed a suite of informatics tools which could instantly retrieve any farm’s details, produce maps of the data, and display the photographs taken during the farm inspection. This gave our operations staff a rapid method of reviewing farms where issues, or examples of good practice, were being found. We developed a highly detailed single-farm
14 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD
analysis tool; a national trends analysis tool, which will help understand farming in Scotland as a whole and show how farming is changing over time; and a tool which could automatically generate a letter summarising the farm inspection results for the land owner or farmer. This letter- generation tool not only summarised the farm inspection, but provided mitigation options and feedback from our staff to help improve the farm, while providing maps to detail where this feedback related to.
By using these informatics tools, and in
particular the letter-generation tool, our staff are able to produce letters much more rapidly than the previous manual method and also understand and respond better to issues. This entire system was awarded the Holyrood Connect 2013 award for Innovation in the public sector.
number of informatics tools (housed in an internal web-driven Informatics Hub) to maximise the value of the data we collect and analyse. Te hub we have developed is accessible to all staff via our intranet. It provides a central place for all staff to go when they want to access our informatics tools. Since the hub’s inception in June 2012, we have added more than 50 tools to it. Tese tools have been used nearly 43,000 times since launch, with usage increasing year-on-year. More than 1,000 staff members, which represent over 75 per cent of SEPA staff, have used these tools. Development of these informatics tools is now integrated into all SEPA projects where appropriate, and its usage spans all our work portfolios, rather than just the Science and Strategy portfolio for which it was originally intended. l
Colin Gray is a Senior Specialist Scientist at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency
@scwmagazine l
www.scientific-computing.com
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