GIS Services – Environmental Protection Agency

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
https://www.epa.ie/
Environment, GIS and Data Analytics, Government and Community, Software and Mobile App Development

GIS, Earth Observation and web mapping technologies are used widely across the EPA to gather, manage, analyse and publish geo-environmental information to national and international stakeholders. 

Compass have held a central role in the definition the EPA geo-architecture, and through multiple framework contracts have delivered many applications and services central to EPA operations.

These include, a national catchment tool, environmental licensing, monitoring, reporting and enforcement tool (LEMA) and several web map tools and services. 

Our location technology services has provided the agency with access to the latest technology, skills and techniques while technical secondment has provided the organisation with the flexibility to scale.

About EPA

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) of Ireland is an independent public body responsible for protecting and improving the environment in Ireland. 

Responsibilities of the EPA include the regulation and licensing of industrial activities such as waste management, water and air emissions, and contaminated land.

The EPA monitors the quality of Ireland’s air, water, and soil, and provides regular reports on the state of the environment, and has the power to take enforcement action against individuals and organisations that are found to be in breach. 

EPA - GIS

Project Requirement

The EPA is one of the most established users of GIS mapping and Earth Observation technology in Ireland.  

In order to leverage the full benefit of this technology, the EPA have extensive external requirements in terms of technical staff, data production and management, IT systems development and maintenance, including;  

  • Provision of Data Management Support – offering the ability to gather, manage and analyse large amounts of geo-environmental data.
  • GIS Mapping Support – for the creation of display maps and other environmental data visualisations.
  • Systems Integration Support – for the fusion of complex inputs from air and water quality monitoring systems.
  • Geo-Analysis Support – to predict the impact of environmental factors on ecosystems and human health.
  • Data Publication Support – for the sharing of location based data with government, industry, and public stakeholders via online web maps and data portals.

Compass’ Solution – GIS Services

Compass Informatics have provided GIS services to the EPA for over 20 years, and have successfully completed a very broad range of ICT, GIS mapping and data capture projects on behalf of the agency. 

We have been selected through many Framework Contract Agreements to provide a range of IT services, including software delivery, technical architecture, testing services, and open data publication. 

Compass have successfully delivered services to the EPA using a combination of on/off-site development, fully on-site development through staff secondment, and remote/off-site project delivery. 

We also provided installation and maintenance of EPA servers, training, documentation, and user support to ensure effective project delivery within all areas of the organisation.

Previous EPA Projects

EPA Catchments Project

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched Catchments, a catchment management tool that received awards for its effectiveness in engaging the public in river catchment management and supporting the EU Water Framework Directive. 

To develop this solution, Compass staff worked closely with EPA staff on-site, providing an end-to-end solution architecture that included tools for key business units to assess environmental status and provide public information.

EPA LEMA Project

Compass seconded staff supported EPA in the delivery of LEMA, a MS XRM Dynamics solution to deliver end to end workflow incorporating environmental Licensing, Monitoring, Reporting and Enforcement activities for Ireland. 

GIS mapping and functionality was integrated with the LEMA application with Compass technical staff holding responsibility for completing the architecture blueprint for the CRM and SharePoint platform. 

EPA EDEN Project

The EPA leads the coordination of environmental data gathering across public sector bodies, and many private sector organisations. 

To support this effort the EPA developed and maintain the EDEN Portal; a single sign-on platform that enables public and private stakeholders to submit environmental data and communicate electronically with the agency.

Compass staff hold responsibility for maintaining and continuously improving the overall EDEN architecture.

EPA WebGIS Projects

Compass Informatics staff also collaborate with teams at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to manage various WebGIS applications across various platforms. 

These include applications in the external production environment, such as EPA Maps, My Local Environment, EPA PRTR, Waste Management Act Section 22 Register, Hydrometric Data System, and Extractive Industries Register. 

Corine LandCover Project

The Compass team take the technical lead on Landcover mapping activities within the EPA – leading the Irish Copernicus LC programme (CORINE) and the National landcover mapping programme for Ireland.

Compass use specialist skillsets to integrate and analyse data and have devised a novel production model for Ireland which uses improved data sources and analysis techniques along with automation of many of the manual components of the workflow.

Solution Benefit

The selection of Compass Informatics for GIS, data management, LandCover production, systems development and support has introduced specialist external capabilities to the EPA. 

The outsourcing of selected services has helped the EPA to save time and money as Compass staff have helped to introduce new workflows which make it easier for the EPA to achieve statutory goals. 

Compass have helped ensure that the EPA’s data is accurate, up-to-date, and compliant with EU regulations and standards. 

Solutions Snapshot

EPA HydroJS – Leaflet based web map illustrating river order.

 

EPA CORINE 2018 Land Cover for Ireland.

 

About Compass

Compass Informatics is an Irish company providing location technologies and data analytics solutions which enable government and commercial organisations to deliver more efficient operations, protect their assets and meet regulatory requirements.   

Compass Informatics’ services include GIS & Data Analytics, IT Systems Development and Location Technologies and the company has won awards for their innovative solutions and focus on sustainability.

Compass leverages the latest technologies to achieve full-service project delivery including; Big Data Analytics, AI, Cloud, Mobile, GIS and Satellite-based Earth Observation amongst others. 

Compass Informatics  are part of Tracsis Plc.

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To learn more about this project, and how the solution provided may benefit your organisation, please contact our government solutions team at info@compassinformatics.com.