Theme: 12. Technology Transfer and Stakeholder Communications

Topic Area: 12b. Practice of Risk Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

Formatted Title:

Automation of Data Management for Quality, Stakeholder Access, and Improved Reporting

Background/Objectives:

Environmental remediation projects with standardized collection, analysis, and reporting requirements across groups of sites can benefit from automation of data collection and reporting. These methods can be used to improve stakeholder engagement and speed reporting. Use of mobile data collection technology such as cell phones, connection to the "internet of things" (IoT), and telemetry from the field allow for massive amounts of data to be collected effectively. However, management of the data to ensure it is passed from the field and lab into decision makers hands in a useful format is critical. Incorporating data management platforms such as databases, geographic information system (GIS), web-based dashboards, and reporting software can increase data quality and analysis by reducing data entry and building automatic quality checks into workflows. This provides stakeholders with the information needed to make decisions based on new data.

Approach/Activities:

Automatic data collection methods were used on a project with multiple water treatment plants spread across 9 square miles. Data from across the project are combined into a single data management system and a dashboard has been developed that allows stakeholders to see which data are critical for rapid decision making. Realtime data collection allows the stakeholders to evaluate new data as it comes in, and adjust field team priorities to ensure resources are being used effectively.

Automation of data quality checks during field data collection on digital field forms were customized to provide alerts to the field team when data being collected is outside of expected ranges or health and safety issues arrise.

Automated report generation was developed on a large sampling program that uses databases, GIS, and automation tools to generate standardized reports for each project across the entire program. A unified DMS was created, and data collection needs were standardized for each site. Custom tablet-based data collection forms were developed that allow for rapid generation of Site Plans, data tables, and figures.

Results/Lessons Learned:

Investment in digital data collection tools and building systems to automate data management and reporting can yield increased data quality and reduce time between data collection and reporting. Real-time access to data allows stakeholders to make decisions based on data much faster than traditional report generation methods.

Menu

Carrie Crozier

Biography