The recent release of the new Crosstab Wizard in Enviro Data has met with rave reviews from clients who have started using it. They are thrilled that they can now make their crosstab tables look exactly the way they need them to. For example, below are two figures with the same dataset crosstabbed first with parameters across, and next with parameters down. The second figure also highlights regulatory limit exceedences. The two reports, as Excel files, were created in about a minute each.

And this export is blazingly fast. The Crosstab Wizard created an Excel crosstab file of over 56,000 records, over 300 pages (as shown below), in just over three minutes.

Selected New Features in version 2010 D

After the great response to the 2010 C release, Geotech has not been sitting still. We’re now working on the 2010 D release with many other useful features. One will be an addition to the Crosstab Wizard to calculate statistics on the data in the spreadsheet, as shown in the following figure. We will be enhancing this feature further in future releases.

A useful feature for users with a lot of data files to import, will be the multi-file import as shown in the following figure. You set up an inbox of files to be imported, and an outbox of files you have imported. Enviro Data scans your inbox and lists the files it finds, including the Enviro Data DTS format name for those in one of those formats. You can then mark the files you want to import, and it will import them as a batch. All of the existing import checking and cleanup tools still apply. Then Enviro Data can move the processed files to the outbox if you wish.

Recently Geotech has been doing a number of large data loading projects for clients, one of which is described below. In working with these large data sets, we have identified and changed a number of things in Enviro Data. One is the multi-file import above. Another is a set of changes to some of the queries run by the Import Wizard. These queries significantly speed up some particular situations, such as missing data like sample dates and depths, and missing lookup table values. These changes are particularly noticeable with large server databases.

Geotech News

Geotech Completes Large Data Loading Project

After trying for a while, and challenged by too much to do and staff changes, a big-city office of one of the largest environmental consulting companies turned to Geotech to get their database system up and running. The project was a very large industrial facility with over 25 years of data of many different kinds. Some parts of their data had been migrated to Enviro Data in SQL Server two years ago. Other parts were in a different commercial software package that they were phasing out. And some of the data was in lab files that had been modified by their data validators. They also had dozens of files of station data (soil borings, monitoring wells, etc.) and parameter and method lists.  

They sent Geotech a CD with all of these data sets. Geotech did an inventory, and then proceeded to import the data, first the stations and parameters, and then the sample and analysis data. The end result was a database with almost 10,000 stations, 1,000 parameters, and 2,000,000 result records. The project took about two weeks of Geotech staff time. We are now going through a final cleanup, primarily fixing duplicated stations and parameters and setting up station groups, and then the client will be able to use the database to make project decisions, something they have been trying for years to accomplish.

Geotech Continues to Go Green      

For almost five years now, the Geotech Staff as been participating in a Waste Management recycling program here at our office, recycling the usual items like paper, plastic, ink and toner cartridges. We also print out less emails, use the back sides of no longer needed printed pates, only use pencils on manila folders so they can be re-used, etc. But on a recent environmental audit, Geotech showed that we are VERY serious about Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Some of our staff members have "gone green" with pencil extenders. Even the little things count!

Enviro Software Success Story - 900 Graphs in Ten Minutes    

A recent support incident shows how Enviro Data can help your workflow. One of our tribal clients called Geotech’s help desk. He said “My EPA project manager wants me to graph all my data, almost 1,000 graphs. Last year this took me three months.” In ten minutes on the phone we helped him create the graphs, about 100 pages, up to nine graphs to a page. Six of those pages are shown below. From three months to ten minutes. That’s what a full-featured data management system can do for your efficiency.

Enviro Software Success Story - Success at a Uranium Mining Company 

Powertech Uranium Corp. is a near-term uranium producer, well positioned for rapid growth in the burgeoning U.S. nuclear power industry. The company's assets include two near-term production projects, indicated resources exceeding 16 million pounds, and a technical team of industry leaders. After a thorough analysis of database options, assisted by some of their consultants, they selected Enviro Data for organizing, managing and reporting their environmental data. After training and some assistance with data loading, their primary user reported: "The 2010 C version, and especially the Crosstab Wizard, is working well for me.  I generated tables for every station in our database in 19 minutes 41 seconds.  This is a big improvement over the months of time it used to take using Excel.  Give me a few months to finish this phase of data organization and then we will need to discuss additional viewer licenses and additional training."

January Special – Get Enviro Data with Your Data Already Loaded 

To start the New Year off with a bang, Geotech is offering a FREE service that will get your data management project up and running sooner and more easily!  During the month of January, if you buy one or more Enviro Data single or concurrent use licenses (with maintenance and training), Geotech’s experienced technical staff will load your data (up to eight  hours) FREE OF CHARGE.  So instead of spending valuable project time loading data, you can move directly into generating output.  A win for you and your client! Contact Mike Rich at mrich@geotech.com or call us Toll Free at 877-740-1999 to sign up for this great deal.

Smart Moves in Tough Times - Sell Your Data Management Services - Add Data Management Tasks to Your Existing Projects

Geotech has heard a number of stories lately from clients who have been able to use their environmental data management capabilities to improve their revenue and bottom-line. One client, a major international environmental consulting company, has implemented Enviro Data worldwide using a centralized system with Citrix and SQL Servers. They showed their capabilities to a client group, and after one demonstration and some discussion, were awarded a $100,000 task to organize and manage the environmental data for a large industrial/government project.  

Another client, a medium sized consulting company, showed their Enviro Data data management capabilities to one of their mining clients. The client then approved funding for a significant data management task to organize and present their data, which is made available for the client to retrieve using a Citrix system. One of the requirements from the mining company was that Geotech’s client use an industry standard tool to manage their data, in case something happens to their relationship with the consultant. It doesn’t look like that is going to happen any time soon - they are thrilled.  Contact Mike Rich at mrich@geotech.com or call us Toll-Free 877-740-1999 for additional details.

Geotech Humor - Laughter is Good Medicine!

Umoja in Amsterdam has been recognized as the first Dutch restaurant to serve sustainably caught fish.  A popular international hamburger chain announced that they should be honored as well, as they’ve never actually used meat or fish in any of their products.

Software Engineering - At a recent computer software engineering course, the participants were given an awkward question to answer:

"If you had just boarded an airliner and discovered that your team of programmers had been responsible for the flight control software, how many of you would disembark immediately?"

Among the ensuing forest of raised hands only one man sat motionless. When asked what he would do, he replied that he would be quite content to stay aboard. With his team's software, he said, the plane was unlikely to even taxi as far as the runway, let alone take off.  

Geotech Services

Geotech specializes in environmental software, database management services and custom programming. We can assist with data loading, reporting, mapping, and other services, or we can train you to do these tasks. For more information about Geotech products and services, please visit our web site at www.geotech.com.

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Geotech Computer Systems, Inc.
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Centennial, CO 80112
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