<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Chapter 8  Environmental Data Management > Overview > Main Features

The main features of the EDMS can be divided into several categories.

 

Scheduling and Tasks

 

•Set sampling schedule and frequency for work flow elements within a project.

•Display sampling schedule in tasks list and calendar.

•Assign sampling tasks to others with notification and reminder.

•Notification capability of non-completed tasks.

•Prioritization of sampling tasks and parameters (required for permit, etc.).

•Provide required sampling information in task (sample media, collection equipment, methodology, etc.) and pass down to samples and stations.

•Auto-populate samples from stations assigned to task.

•Grouping of parameters to be sampled (BTEX, Metals, etc.).

•Sample tracking and notification; including date of sampling, date shipped to lab, date received by lab, data analysed, date lab results received, and sample disposition.

•Ability to store shipping company and tracking numbers.

•Automatic notification of sample exceedences.

•Notifications by email, internal, or SMS text.

 

Stations and Sampling

 

•Stations used to represent physical location of one or more samples.

•Sample collection at stations can occur singularly, continuously or at regularly scheduled intervals.

•Entry of station elevation, alternative coordinates, and survey methodology.

•Entry of station type, purpose, construction and decommissioning.

•Entry of soil, rock, groundwater, surface water, fluid, solid, air and biological samples.

•Capture of sample data, personnel, methodology, and equipment.

•Capture of coordinates and location of samples and sampling stations.

•Ability to auto-populate bottle types and print sample labels with optional barcodes.

•Multiple customizable sample descriptors.

•Entry of site and weather conditions at time of sampling.

•Capture and calculation of surface water flows.

•Ability to store site photographs with samples.

•Ability to specify dry and wet weights for soil samples.

•Entry of species, age, gender, etc. for biological samples.

•Ability to state and store recommended actions for samples.

•Ability to enter nearest environmental risks and sources of contamination.

 

Lab Analysis and Communication

 

•Printing of COC for specific labs.

•Automatic import of EDI data from labs with verification and acknowledgment.

•Import of lab results from Excel in any format using scripts.

•Support for criteria limits and lab detection limits.

•Automatic conversion of concentration units.

•Capture of analysis method.

•Highlighting of exceedences upon import of EDI data.

•Automatic import and saving of lab certificate of analysis.

•Capture and reporting of field and lab duplicates and blanks QA.

•Capture and reporting of holding time and reference material QA.

•Capture and reporting of matrix and trip spikes, lab control samples, and surrogates QA.

•Free custom reporting application for labs provides data entry, importing, exporting, and transmission of lab results.

 

Reporting and Integration of Results

 

•Highlighting of sample exceedences in reports.

•Ability to export results to Excel.

•Preset report and customizable templates.

•Location of samples and sampling stations displayed in GIS.

•Linking of samples to wells or borings in WinLoG module.

•Display of sample information, water levels and concentrations in wells and borings.

•Gridding and contouring of groundwater levels and concentrations in maps.

•Display summary lists of analyses in a project.

•Display of lab analyses results in tables and graphs in a project view.

•Display of sample locations and concentrations in 3D displays.

 

Regulations and Parameters

 

•Importing of GAEA supplied regulations for numerous countries and regions.

•Support for multiple limits and regulatory criteria.

•Parameters can be edited and grouped.

•Detection levels of parameters can be specified.

 

General and Predefined Data

 

•Lists for station information such as elevation datums and methods, reference points, source scales and types, survey datums and methods.

•Lists for sample information such as air sample types, animal species, collection methods, colors, descriptors, disinfectants, equipment, filters, fluid types, life stages, methodologies, odours, other sample types, plant species, QC sample types, rock composition, rock mineralogy, rock types, rock textures, sample types, sampling results, soil consistency, soil porosity, soil types, tide states, tissue types, water source types, weathering.

•Lists for lab analyses information such as analysis methods, containers, descriptors, disposal methods, laboratories, preparation methods, shipping companies, shipping methods, storage locations, storage periods.

•Lists for other information such as personnel, contractors, schedule priorities.

 

Security and Administration

 

•Users can login at local or network level.

•User privilege levels can be set to administrator, power, limited or guest.

•Passwords can be optionally set for individual projects.

•Data specific access rights can be set for tasks, stations, samples, and lab analyses.

•Access rights can be controlled by privilege level or personnel.

•Network Manager service and monitor to control notifications and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

•Optional database audit trail to track all database transactions.

 

Notifications

Optional notifications can be sent throughout the work process via email, SMS (text message), or internal notification within the program. The following notifications can be sent to selected personnel during the process:

 

•Sample required

•Sample collected**

•Sample not collected (Non-compliant)

•Sample shipped to lab**

•Sample received by lab *

•Lab analysis complete *

•Lab analysis received

•Parameter exceedence (Non-compliant)

•Sample stored by lab *

•Sample disposed by lab *

 

* Notifications require the lab to be using the EDMS Lab program. This program is supplied to labs for free by GAEA.

** Notifications require field personnel to be using EDMS Field.

 

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

•EDI files can be automatically sent and retrieved via email or FTP.

•Sampling requests and requirements can be sent from EDMS to EDMS Field using EDI.

•Sample data collected using EDMS Field can be sent by EDI to the main EDMS database.

•Lab results can be automatically reported using EDI by labs running EDMS Lab.