Objectives
In this age of ‘Big Data’ and real time monitoring, the groundwater industry is literally drowning in data. This study presents a range of case studies which apply innovative ways of processing, analysing and visualisating groundwater data, to help bridge the communication gap between the scientists and decision makers and facilitate a data driven culture.
Design and Methodology
This project combines the latest business intelligence tools and computer animations to create a shared understanding of the complex groundwater systems we manage. Groundwater data was sourced from publicly available databases (such as the Victorian Water Management Information System). Interactive dashboards were developed within Microsoft Power BI, the world’s leading Business Intelligence platform. One-page reports combining dynamic maps, geological bore logs, groundwater level hydrographs, water quality data and statistics were developed, providing water managers with key information in an accessible format to drive decisions. Animated conceptual site models were developed in the Adobe Creative Cloud to help communicate how these complex groundwater systems operate and describe the key findings from groundwater studies.
Original data and results
The results from this study are a suite of interactive dashboards, infographics and computer animations which can be used to help manage and communicate groundwater data, providing an alternative to traditional written reports.
Conclusions
The data analytics and visualisation tools presented in this study have broad and wide-ranging applications across the groundwater and environmental industries. These tools can be used to both streamline data processing and improve communication, facilitating a culture of data driven decision making to help manage the future sustainability of our groundwater resources.