Challenge
The Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA), a flagship programme of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), required a way to efficiently calculate and compare costs across multiple data collection schemes operated by three different organisations.
They required a solution that would allow technical leads to explore various field survey commissioning scenarios and make informed decisions about resource allocation.
Solution
The team began by conducting a thorough discovery of existing field survey costing data across Natural England, Forest Research, and the Environment Agency. They then developed a data model in collaboration with experts, creating a comprehensive 'catalogue' of field activities with associated costs. This model enabled the combination and comparison of different scenarios, similar to a shopping basket system.
A proof of concept was developed within weeks and tested with Project Managers and Technical Leads from both Defra and partner organisations, generating valuable user insights. Throughout the process, the Defra senior leadership team remained actively engaged and supportive of the team's efforts and facilitation approach.
Impact
The proof of concept demonstrated significant potential value, leading to strong support for developing a fully functioning tool. The project showed promise in maximising cost efficiencies for field survey commissions while optimising data collection and statistical confidence. The team identified that the tool could be enhanced by incorporating adjustable variables such as available budget, frequency, and geographic scale.
This innovation is expected to contribute significantly to better understanding the condition of natural capital ecosystems, with stakeholders expressing enthusiasm for its full implementation and potential benefits to environmental assessment practices.