Engineering and architecture
Environmental consulting data inventory: EQuIS, lab, field and GIS records
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
An environmental consulting data inventory is a one-row-per-system map of where project data lives, covering EQuIS, lab reports and EDDs, field apps, GIS, boring logs and project accounting. Each row records six fields: system, record types, years covered, owner, sensitivity and export path. Flag client-confidential, privileged and PFAS data before anyone exports a file.
Key takeaways
- Inventory systems first and projects second; a system row is faster to build and easier to keep current.
- Years covered means years you can still open and export, not years the firm has existed.
- The owner column needs a named person who can approve an export, not a department.
- Sensitivity flags for client confidentiality, privilege, PFAS and employee health records drive every later decision.
- An inventory describes records; it should never contain the records themselves.
What an environmental consulting data inventory covers#
An environmental consulting data inventory covers every system and repository that holds project, laboratory, field, spatial or business records, described one row at a time. It is a map, not a copy: it names the system, the records inside it and the person who can approve access, without moving any files.
Environmental firms need their own version because their systems differ from those of design firms. Analytical data arrives from laboratories as EDDs and lands in a database such as EQuIS, field data comes in through mobile forms, and spatial context lives in GIS, so a generic list of drives and folders misses where the valuable and sensitive records actually sit.
| Column | What to record | Example entry |
|---|---|---|
| System | Product or repository name and where it runs | EQuIS Professional on a hosted server |
| Record types | The record families inside it | Locations, samples, results, field parameters |
| Years | First and last year you can still open and export | From adoption to present; older data in spreadsheets |
| Owner | Named person who can approve an export | Data manager |
| Sensitivity | Confidentiality, privilege, personal data or PFAS flags | Client confidential; some sites under a hold |
| Export path | How records come out, and in what format | Database backup or EDD export by facility |
The inventory template, filled for a typical firm#
The filled template below shows how rows usually look for a consultancy running investigation, remediation and compliance work. Replace each entry with your own systems and keep descriptions short enough to read on one screen.
| System | Record types | Years | Owner | Sensitivity | Export path |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQuIS or similar database | Locations, samples, analytical results, field parameters | From adoption; earlier data in spreadsheets | Data manager | Client confidential | Database export or EDD by facility |
| Lab EDDs and reports | EDDs, PDF reports, chain of custody, case narratives | As far back as project folders go | Project chemist | Client confidential | Project server files; lab portals vary |
| Field data apps | Field forms, sample logs, photos, GPS points | From app rollout | Field operations lead | Client confidential; staff names | Form and feature exports |
| GIS | Geodatabases, site layers, figures | Varies by office | GIS lead | Client confidential; some public layers | Geodatabase or shapefile export |
| Boring log software | Logs, well construction, lithology | From adoption; older logs scanned | Senior geologist | Client confidential | Project database and issued PDFs |
| Project accounting | Projects, clients, hours, invoices | From system adoption | Controller | Commercial; employee data | List view export to CSV or Excel |
| Document management | Reports, work plans, QAPPs, agency letters | Varies by server | Office managers | Client confidential; some filed publicly | File share or SharePoint export |
| Health and safety | Exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, training | Long-term by rule | H&S manager | Personal and medical | Restricted; usually out of scope |
How to fill the years and owner columns#
The years column should record the span of records you can still open and export, which is often shorter than the firm's history. Migrations, lab portal limits and retired servers all cut history, so test it by opening the oldest record in each system rather than relying on memory.
The owner column needs one named person per row: the person who would approve an export and answer questions about it. In many firms that is the data manager for EQuIS, the GIS lead for spatial data and the controller for Deltek Vantagepoint or BQE CORE.
Project accounting rows deserve a quick check of export mechanics. Deltek's documentation says Vantagepoint list views export to CSV or Excel, and that in the cloud product the export is scheduled, with larger exports from apps such as Projects, Employees and Firms running on the process server and requiring the user ID to be mapped to an employee record.
Sensitivity flags specific to environmental work#
Sensitivity flags are the most important column, because they decide what is excluded before anyone discusses value. Environmental records carry flags that design firms rarely see.
Employee exposure records need particular care. Under OSHA's access standard at 29 CFR 1910.1020, exposure records and analyses using them must generally be retained for at least 30 years, so flag them as restricted and keep them out of any outside use.
- Client confidential: site results, figures and reports defined as confidential in the master services agreement.
- Privileged or litigation support: projects commissioned through counsel or under a litigation hold.
- PFAS and emerging contaminants: excluded by default given disclosure and litigation risk.
- Regulatory filings: documents already submitted to agencies, which may be public records.
- Third-party access: sampling on neighboring properties under access agreements.
- Residents' personal data: names and addresses from private well or indoor air sampling.
- Employee health records: exposure monitoring and medical surveillance for field staff.
Export paths and the read-only archive#
Export paths tell you whether a record can leave its system in a usable form. For each row, note the format, who must run the export, and whether the vendor limits history, charges a fee or requires an administrator.
Lab portals and field apps are the usual weak points. Portals may keep only recent reports, and field app data can disappear when a subscription lapses, so confirm that copies exist on the firm's own storage.
When a system is retired, keep a read-only archive with its native files and a documented export rather than relying on a new system's import. Record which EDD format version each laboratory used, because older deliverables may not load cleanly into a newer database configuration.
Illustrative: a groundwater consultancy builds its first inventory#
Illustrative: a fictional groundwater and remediation consultancy with several offices builds its first inventory after a prospective acquirer asks where its data lives. It runs EQuIS for analytical data, receives EDDs from several laboratories, collects field data in a mobile form app, keeps ArcGIS geodatabases by office and tracks projects in Deltek Vantagepoint.
The COO and the data manager fill one row per system in a single working session, then test the years column by opening the oldest records. They find that results from before the EQuIS rollout sit in spreadsheets in project folders, and that one office's field photos exist only in the app's cloud account.
They tag litigation-support and PFAS projects by project number in both EQuIS and Deltek, copy the field photos to firm storage and add a retention column. The finished inventory answers the acquirer's questions and later serves as the scope list for a metadata-only fit check.
How SourceX uses an inventory like this#
SourceX starts from exactly this kind of inventory. In the Supply step of the SourceX five-step transaction, the fit check collects metadata such as systems, record types, years and sensitivity flags, and no files are shared during the initial assessment.
The sensitivity column feeds the Rights and Preparation steps, and the SourceX Enterprise Data Value Framework weighs drivers such as uniqueness, domain expertise, rights, preparation cost and privacy burden. For any package that proceeds, the SourceX Evidence Packet records provenance, permitted use, the privacy record and release authorization.
Frequently asked questions
Should the inventory list individual projects?
Not at first. Start with one row per system so the inventory can be finished quickly and kept current. A project-level index, with client, contract terms and sensitivity flags, is a useful second layer when you move to a rights review or prepare for a sale.
Who should maintain the inventory?
The COO or data manager should own it, with input from IT, the GIS lead and the controller. Update it whenever a system is adopted, retired or migrated, when an acquisition adds new systems, and when a major client contract changes its data terms.
Is the inventory itself sensitive?
It can be. Keep client names and site identifiers out of versions shared outside the firm, describe record types rather than listing projects, and restrict access to the full version. The inventory should describe records, never contain extracts of them.
Can the same inventory support retention and licensing decisions?
Yes. Add a retention column showing the period your policy sets for each record type and any holds, and the same rows can support retention, acquisition diligence and a licensing fit check without being rebuilt for each purpose.
What about records held by drillers and laboratories?
Add rows for records that sit with subcontractors when you depend on them, such as lab portals or driller logs. Note your contractual right to obtain copies, because a record you cannot retrieve on request does not belong in the years column.
Sources
- Deltek's Vantagepoint help says the Export List View dialog exports grid data from a list view to a comma-separated values (.csv) file or an Excel file. Source
- Deltek's help says a cloud Vantagepoint list-view export is scheduled and you are notified in the Notification Center when the .csv is ready. Exports of more than 500 records from apps such as Projects, Employees, Firms, Contacts and Activities run on the process server, and your user ID must be mapped to an employee record. Source
- Under 29 CFR 1910.1020, exposure records and analyses using medical or exposure records must be retained for at least 30 years, though background laboratory data from workplace monitoring need only be kept one year if sampling results, sampling plan, analytical methods and a summary of background data are kept for 30 years. Source
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