New National drinking-water database to replace WINZ
For customers working within the drinking water industry of New Zealand, 2017 will see a significant change in the way water related data is managed.
Water Information New Zealand or WINZ as it has become known (long before the government department was given the same acronym) has been used to store drinking water results since the early 1990’s. Data has been entered into WINZ by Eurofins-ELS since the very beginning with over 835,000 results uploaded and distributed.
Eurofins-ELS WINZ Data
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The massive amounts of samples and results put into WINZ, covering the huge number of zones and plants we test for, shows how integrated this laboratory is within the New Zealand drinking water industry. For over 20 years Eurofins-ELS has been a major contributor to the testing of New Zealand’s drinking water.
We will continue to play that major role moving forward, especially during 2017; where the platform in which the data is stored will be changed. The Ministry of Health advised that the tap on the new Ministry of Health (MoH) national drinking-water database is expected to be turned on later this year.
A new system called Water On-Line will replace WINZ and will feature web accessible features which are intended to streamline some of the existing systems used by the sector to update and access existing information.
Beca has been commissioned to develop and host the database to supersede the current Water Information for New Zealand (WINZ) system, currently maintained by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). The new solution will build from the relevant functionality of the current database, as well as deliver improved benefits in accessibility, usability and integration.
A number of changes are anticipated that will influence workflow and processes for current WINZ users, and some sections will not be replicated such as DWSNZ 2000 compliance, the Grading, and template Water Safety Plans. Beca will be keeping the industry informed of progress during the development and roll-out phase.
Rob Deacon is assisting Beca on an industry panel and anticipates that Eurofins-ELS will be in the position to ensure that customer data will continue to be uploaded quickly and accurately once the new Water On-Line system is operational.
