“Environmental data” is any recorded information that gives us information on the state of our environment. That runs the gamut from weather forecasts, alerts and warnings to climate monitoring, to estimates of arable land or rainforest based on satellite imagery, to analysis of water samples taken along river systems, to tracking information from GPS transmitters attached to wild animal species, to recycling and waste data collected at construction projects, to energy use at homes or businesses or public facilities, to . . . well, a very wide variety of information.
Sources of environmental data
Environmental data can be collected from a very wide variety of sources, including
Statistical or informal surveys (e.g., censuses or sample surveys of population, housing, agriculture, enterprises, households, employment, and different aspects of environment management). A great collection of sample environmental surveys can be found at the UN Statistics Division. Here are just a small number of examples:
Administrative records of government and non-government agencies in charge of natural resources as well as other ministries or authorities. One example is from the US Army Environmental Command, which does everything from ensure that training properties remain in compliance with environmental regulations to ensuring that endangered species like the bald eagle are minimally affected by military activities.
The US Environmental Protection Agency also has a wide variety of datasets available to the public at its website, including the Consumer Product Category Database, containing “the use of over 40,000 chemicals and their presence in different consumer products”.
Likewise for the European Environmental Agency, with a whole range of useful datasets and maps like “Annual average fraction loss of GDP from natural hazards in EEA member countries (2005-2014)”.
A wide variety of environmental datasets and maps are available at the European Environmental Agency.
NASA WorldView website
Remote sensing and thematic mapping (i.e., satellite imaging of land use, water bodies or forest cover. Here we can look again to the EPA, for multiple datasets like “Change in Unusually Hot and Cold Temperatures in the Contiguous 48 States, 1948–2020.”
NASA, too, has a wide variety of satellite and aerial remote sensing datasets and interactive maps at their Earthdata Search and other sites.
Scientific research and special research projects that might utilize any of the methods listed above, in additional to historical analysis and other tools. One of the most interesting and, well, fun, is the Google Environmental Insights Explorer, which lets you view environmental data and estimates for cities and regions around the world. Want to know the estimated transportation emissions for Sydney, Australia? This is a good place to start.
Real-time sensor data from the Bulgarian Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems
Monitoring systems (i.e., field-monitoring stations for water quality, air pollution, temperature, etc.) A good example can be found at the Bulgarian Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems (Google translated page), which provides access to webcams and sensor data from hundreds of sensors.
environmental data collection methods
Of course, the method used for collection of environmental data depends on the type of data required, and this will vary greatly. Weather data, for example, will require access to on-the-ground sensors (or human reporters) or satellite observations, while data on fish catches, as another example, will probably depend heavily on form-based field data collection at ports or aboard fishing vessels.
The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) gives detailed insight into the many factors that come into play for collecting fishing data (boldface added):
“The choice of the many methods for collecting fishery data will depend on the variables to be measured, the source and the resources available. In many cases, there is a natural way to collect particular variables. For example, relatively static variables, like vessel length or engine size, are often best collected through a registration system. Highly dynamic variables, like catch or effort, may often be best obtained through daily records, such as logsheets.
For the same variable, the methods can be different depending on the type of fishery. For example, for a large-scale fishery, catch data would be best collected from logbooks, whilst in a small-scale fishery interviews and/or questionnaires would often be the best method. The sources (fishers, processors etc.) are also an important factor for the choice and design of methods. Buyers, processors and other intermediaries are likely to keep their own sales records, which should be used as the basis of data forms. Small-scale fishers often do not keep any records, and data acquisition in this case would be restricted to one-to-one interviews, but the interview structure could be more flexible.”
Note that even in this age of satellites and electronic sensors, there is still a great deal of data that is collecting through interviews and questionnaires. And even when the data is already recorded, the chances are high that it is recorded in logbooks that are paper-based (yes, this is still very common) or, even if electronic, not conducive to easy transfer to the data collector’s computer system. And this is where electronic mobile data collection continues to play a major role in environmental data collection.
Environmental Compliance data
For many companies, including in construction and manufacturing, it’s important — and often a legal requirement — to document environmental impact and processes on a routine and continuous basis. Data can be used to document:
corporate sustainability processes
waste management
environmental remediation progress
status of equipment
The data might be gathered through the use of site inspection checklists, a tool that Magpi is ideal for creating and deploying quickly and at low-cost — and most often without a single line of code.
That speed of deployment can also come into play for ad hoc data collection around emergencies (read more: “Mobile Forms: An Essential Tool in Florida’s Hurricane Response), when there really is no time to lose.
Environmental Data Collection Software
Many organizations working to collect environmental data via surveys and interviews and questionnaires rely on reliable and easy-to-configure electronic tools like Magpi to make the move from paper-based forms to digital. Those electronic tools need to be:
inexpensive — generally moving from paper to electronic should create a net cost savings, but results vary drastically depending on the software
easy to configure — nowadays, no one worries about “configuring” an app we download to our phone: we just download it and start using it. It can be a shock, then, to find that professional data collection tools often need the services of professional staff to get them up and running. With Magpi, most users can easily create their own forms and them into the field in no time — and our free Magpi tech support is there whenever it is needed.
easy to use — just as with configuration, you want a tool that can be put to use with a minimum of training and a maximum of speed
dependable — Magpi’s just about the longest-running mobile data collection out there, having been established nearly 20 years ago, with a data-loss-free record
error-reducing — any mobile data collection tool needs to be able to use required fields, skip patterns, range checks, and other tools to reduce the possibility of human error
real-time — the benefit of the soaring cell coverage rates in recent years is the diminishing chance that data collectors will find themselves “out of range.” Tools like Magpi are perfectly able to store data collected offline, of course, but optimal results can be seen when data is uploaded into your system, and your reports, the moment it is collected
connectable — Magpi has built-in reporting and analytic tools (view a sample), but we recognize that our users need to connect to a huge range of external tools. Maybe those include storage tools and databases like Microsoft OneDrive, or Amazon S3, or SQL Server. Maybe visualization must-haves like PowerBI or Tableau or Plecto. Maybe you want to do some basic analysis with a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets? Or run a quick report with Word or Google Docs? Never fear: Magpi connects. And usually in minutes, without a single line of code.
Magpi real-time reporting
LEARN MORE
Looking to move from paper to digital environmental data collection? Trying to simplify and automate compliance processes? Dissatisfied with your current software performance (or price)?
You can schedule a demo of Chat (or just sign up for a Magpi account and start moving forward), and we are standing by to help.