Public and private sector organisations across the UK have aspirations to achieve net zero—but it can be incredibly difficult to understand where to begin. The independent research and technology company, Energy Systems Catapult realised that local authorities, in particular, were setting carbon targets without fully understanding where they could achieve the largest reductions in carbon emissions or which low carbon energy schemes might deliver the best results across their regions.

A lot of open source data was available to local authorities, but it wasn’t always clear which datasets met their needs, were authoritative, could be relied upon, and covered all key use cases. Furthermore, although the data was free to use, there was a hidden cost involved in formatting and analysing it, before it could be used to inform significant investments in decarbonisation strategies and green energy.

Energy Systems Catapult has strong expertise in this field, having developed the Local Area Energy Planning (LAEP) guidance that is widely used across the public sector for producing sustainable energy plans. It also has employees with 30 years’ combined experience of using Esri’s geographic information system (GIS) technology, ArcGIS, with open source, commercial, and in-house developed data. It therefore had the technical skills and knowledge in-house to support local authorities and help them realise their net zero goals.

The company used ArcGIS Pro to collate, process and analyse a vast amount of open, commercial and in-house developed data from around thirty different, trusted input sources. It used tools available within ArcGIS Pro, including Spatial Analyst, to determine the precise attributes of buildings, such as roof shapes and side access, and scientifically calculated the relative decarbonisation potential of each property in Great Britain. It then packaged this intelligence into a suite of datasets in the Net Zero Data range.

Customers can quickly purchase Net Zero Data online through Energy Systems Catapult’s online data marketplace, import it into their own ArcGIS systems, access it via an application programming interface (API) or purchase it as part of a data visualisation package. They can then explore the data on interactive maps to understand the indicative suitability of each building for low carbon and renewable technologies, such as air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. Buildings are colour coded on the maps, making it very easy for councils to see and prioritise areas with high concentrations of ‘red’ buildings where decarbonisation projects could have the greatest positive impact.

Energy Systems Catapult uses ArcPy to automate daily updates to the data product range in Net Zero Data. For instance, ArcPy automatically recalculates the potential of different types of green energy at each property, daily, to take into account changes to housing data and other new data sources.

To support the sale process, sales personnel within Energy Systems Catapult use ArcGIS Online to create custom web apps, as demonstrations for customers. They have also created engaging stories with the ArcGIS StoryMaps app. Available via the company’s website, these interactive sales tools provide a clear and engaging introduction to the benefits and uses of Net Zero Data.

An innovative and authoritative suite of data products
Through the use of ArcGIS, Energy Systems Catapult has been able to develop and launch an innovative and authoritative new data product that adds value for local authorities and other organisations that are working towards net zero. Net Zero Data enables users to answer specific questions ranging from which social housing stock do we insulate first to where do we put electric vehicle charging hubs. “All the data needed to answer questions is now in one place, in a standardised, easy-to-use, pre-packaged datasets,” says Sandeep Kang, Senior Product Manager at Energy Systems Catapult.

An automated mechanism for updating data
The automated mechanism that Energy Systems Catapult has developed with ArcPy enables it to ensure its Net Zero Data product is constantly refreshed and relevant for its customers. “As we are using ArcPy instead of applying updates manually, we can ensure a highly accurate and consistent approach,” explains Ben Walters, Senior Modelling Consultant at Energy Systems Catapult. “Local authorities don’t need to worry about whether the data is out-of-date and can trust it for their decision-making.”

Lower cost and faster sales cycles
Energy Systems Catapult has used ArcGIS to create a portfolio of versatile and cost-effective tools for promoting its Net Zero Data product. Web apps and story maps are quick and easy to produce, which helps to reduce the cost of sale. “ArcGIS is super, super intuitive,” says Kang. “I have not had any formal GIS training but can build customised web apps as demostrations for customers in ArcGIS very quickly. The flexibility of ArcGIS goes a long way to supporting our sales process.”

Faster achievement of net zero targets
Energy Systems Catapult is certain that its ArcGIS-driven initiative to make better data available will accelerate its customers’ journeys to net zero. One customer recently used Net Zero Data to prioritise the installation of solar panels on village halls, based on their energy usage. “Our customers can see exactly where to focus their attention and investments to decarbonise faster,” says Walters. “Without ArcGIS, we wouldn’t have been able to deliver that level of accuracy.”