In 2014 Professor Ross McKitrick (University of Guelph) launched YourEnvironment.ca, a website showing consolidated environmental data. This system allows members of the public to access the complete historical record of air pollution, water pollution, temperature, precipitation, and other environmental indicators for many Canadian Communities. The system relied on manual conversion of the data to graphs, and importation of these graphs into the database for display when requested by a user. The result was a slow experience for the user, and a labour intensive process for site administrators when new data was released.
- Implement a custom software solution that automates the conversion of data to graphs
- Reduce the manual effort associated with data input and graph generation
- Provide a clean interface, presenting ease of navigation from the user perspective
Solution
In August 2017 Sandbox Software Solutions developed and launched the new version YourEnviroment.ca as a C#.NET web application, with data stored in a MS SQL Server database. The historical data comes from multiple contributors (provincial, federal and independent sources) and in different formats. Import scripts were written to convert the data to dynamic graphs. This included rendering curated, aggregated data into on-demand graphs in the user interface, based on selected filters.
Outcome
The addition of these custom built tools provides the ability to add multiple data layers to a graph through as easy-to-use configuration, as well as the ability to superimpose various statistical information to the graphs (e.g., linear trend lines, averages over selectable intervals).
Sandbox has a dedicated Software Team that specializes in creating custom solutions that are not available in existing off-the-shelf products.
> Software Development
Our Digital Strategist will work with you to determine the right technologies and approach to create a custom solution that meets your exact needs.
> Digital Strategy & Consulting
We use Responsive Design best practices to ensure our web solutions work seamlessly across a range of devices and browsers.
> Website Design & Development