As engineers, I believe it’s our role to create what has never been. There’s so much to be curious about in this industry – we must question everything and see things from a different perspective. Using my background in Geographic Information Systems, I combine geographic data with innovative software to seek out smart solutions. By taking a data-driven approach, we can save time and deliver better, more accurate results.
Helping clients visualise their data
When creating a data model for our clients, it’s important to reflect the needs of the business. Everything we do starts with a conversation, engaging with stakeholders across energy, operational, asset, management and maintenance teams. Our approach feels like a collaboration. We’re not just working for our clients; we’re working with our clients.
After our initial research, we use data analysis to establish links between data sets that hadn’t been there before. We address problems with our suite of digital tools such as Python, where we code to create custom solutions, or Feature Manipulation Engine (FME), a more visual planning software.
These tools focus on automation at the core, so that data models can refresh on an ongoing basis. Automations also enable clients to be self-sufficient when we hand over the software at the end of the project.
Our data-driven approach helps our clients outperform their regulatory targets, reducing and mitigating risk through smarter, lower cost, and data-driven solutions. This means that we not only deliver value to our clients but their customers too.
People make progression possible
It’s the people at WSP who make progression possible. I have a brilliant team around me and everyone is accessible from the top down. We set defined career pathways so everyone in the business can see their goals and be clear about how to get to the next level.
As a mentor to the junior members of the team, I can see they are focusing more on digital and identifying processes to improve. I learn from them, too. It goes both ways.
Harnessing the power of technology
Digital is constantly evolving, giving us so many opportunities to develop and learn new skills. A new internal programme called Inspire has been set up to encourage development and leaders within the business. We also have a digital water forum that allows us to contribute to the water business and drive change through our people-focused initiatives.
I recently received my AI and Machine Learning certificate (a form of artificial intelligence that makes predictions from data) as it gains more relevance in the industry. I believe there's still a need for human input, but with access to more data than ever before, harnessing the power of technology can only improve and enhance the work we do.
