DataSources

An overview of the range of data sources used by the application.

As shown there, there is a wide range of different types of data used in the application.

Some of this is provided by the schools or members of the Energy Sparks team, while other data is collected from national, local or site-specific sources.

The data is:

• entered directly into the application via user and administration interfaces
• processed automatically via email
• or imported via background processes

School Data

To setup a school on the site and to provide useful analysis of their energy data, we need a range of information, including:

Data Type	Description
Basic data	Name, identifiers, type of school (e.g. primary, secondary), key stages taught. We use URN in England and SEED in Scotland. This supports basic features of the site, like recommending activities and helps with reporting
Location	Address and geographic coordinates. This is used to help map schools and associate them with relevant weather data
Infrastructure	Number of pupils, floor area, whether it has solar panels, whether it has night storage heaters, has swimming pool or serves school dinners. This is used to drive reporting and analysis of energy usage data
Calendar	Dates for term times, inset days, etc. We use national, regional and per-school calendars to make this manageable. This helps with the alerting, so the application can track how and when the school is being used
Contacts	Names, emails, phone numbers for teachers and administrators signed up for notifications via email and/or SMS
Group	Schools are associated with their local authority, but may also be part of a Multi-Academy Trust. This helps with managing configuration like shared calendars, meter tariffs, etc
Meters	Identifiers of gas and electricity meters installed at the school. This allows us to process data for the school
Tariffs	Tariffs associated with energy usage and generation, allowing us to calculate costs and energy savings. These can be tied to individual meters, so set as defaults

Weather Data

Data Type	Description
Historical Temperature	Via DarkSky. To support analysis of historical energy usage
Forecast Temperature	Forecast temperature, allowing us to notify schools about turning boilers on/off based on forecast
Solar irradiance	Historical data, via Sheffield University (previously Weather Underground). To support analysis of solar data

Energy Usage

Data Type	Description
Gas	Gas usage data from AMR meters
Electricity	Electricity usage data from AMR meters

Energy usage data will be obtained by taking data feeds from smart meters installed in schools. Meters can be attached to both gas and electricity supplies.

Energy Generation

Data Type	Description
Solar PV	Solar energy generated from panels installed on the school.
National Grid	National grid ½ hourly electricity CO2 intensities, live energy sources