The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has embarked on a transformative journey to enhance its environmental protection efforts through data-driven decision-making. By leveraging Spotfire visual data science capabilities, SEPA has revolutionized how it collects, analyzes, and disseminates environmental data, leading to more effective regulatory actions and increased public engagement.
Managing disparate data
SEPA is tasked with safeguarding Scotland’s environment, which involves monitoring a wide array of data, including hydrological records dating back to the 1950s, ecological and chemical samples from the 1960s, and current data on air quality, industrial compliance, and more. The agency faced the challenge of integrating these disparate data sources to derive actionable insights and support evidence-based decisions.
Visual data science is the solution
To address this challenge, SEPA chose Spotfire, focusing on its ability to integrate with statistical tools like R and deploy web-based analytics rapidly. Capabilities in Spotfire allowed SEPA to:
- Integrate diverse data sources: Consolidate historical and real-time data from various databases and GIS systems.
- Develop interactive dashboards: Create user-friendly dashboards for internal staff and public use.
- Embed analytics across platforms: Utilize the Spotfire JavaScript API to incorporate analytics into multiple web-based applications.
The successful trial led SEPA to adopt Spotfire fully, resulting in the development of over 140 analytical tools and widespread usage among staff.
4 key benefits of Spotfire sustainability analytics
- High adoption rate: Over 80 percent of SEPA staff now use Spotfire in their daily operations.
- Efficiency gains: The agency achieved a 66 percent reduction in time spent on certain analytical processes.
- Public engagement: Spotfire-powered dashboards have been made available on public websites, enhancing transparency and community involvement.
- Agile development: SEPA adopted an Agile informatics development approach, allowing for rapid deployment and iterative improvement of analytical tools.
5 key use cases for greater sustainability
Spotfire has enabled SEPA to:
- Monitor environmental trends: Analyze long-term changes in water quality and other environmental indicators.
- Enhance regulatory compliance: Identify and address non-compliance issues more effectively.
- Support flood management: Provide timely flood warnings and risk assessments.
- Inform policy decisions: Supply policymakers with data-driven insights to guide environmental strategies.
Now SEPA can handle its most data-intensive use cases:
- Water quality predictions
- Emissions monitoring
- On-demand statistical analysis of water quality
- Alerting managers’ dashboards
- Water environment hub
See these use cases in action
By transforming vast and complex data into actionable insights, SEPA has improved operational efficiency, regulatory effectiveness, and public engagement, setting a precedent for data-driven environmental stewardship. Read more about the technical details in this case study.
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