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Analyzing Emissions Data

This tutorial guides you through the process of analyzing your emissions data to identify trends, patterns, and reduction opportunities using Carbon GPT's analytics tools.

Prerequisites

Tutorial Overview

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

  1. Use the analytics dashboard
  2. Perform trend analysis
  3. Conduct comparative analysis
  4. Identify emission hotspots
  5. Model reduction scenarios
  6. Leverage AI-powered insights
  7. Integrate with external data sources
  8. Create custom analytics

Dashboard Analytics

  1. Log in to your Carbon GPT account
  2. Navigate to Analytics > Dashboard
  3. Explore the default dashboard layout:
    • Emissions summary cards
    • Trend charts
    • Category breakdowns
    • Performance indicators
    • Recent activity feed

Understanding Key Metrics

MetricDescriptionInterpretation
Total EmissionsSum of all GHG emissions in tCO₂eOverall climate impact
Emission IntensityEmissions per unit of outputEfficiency indicator
Year-over-Year ChangePercentage change from previous periodProgress indicator
Scope DistributionProportion of emissions by scopeResponsibility mapping
Category HotspotsHighest-emitting categoriesReduction opportunity areas

Customizing Dashboard Views

  1. Click Customize Dashboard
  2. Add, remove, or rearrange widgets:
    • Drag and drop widgets to reposition
    • Resize widgets as needed
    • Configure widget settings
  3. Create specialized dashboards:
    • Executive view
    • Facility manager view
    • Sustainability team view
  4. Save custom dashboard configurations

Creating Dashboard Alerts

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Alerts
  2. Click Create New Alert
  3. Configure alert conditions:
    • Threshold-based alerts
    • Trend-based alerts
    • Anomaly detection alerts
  4. Set notification preferences:
    • Email notifications
    • In-app notifications
    • Scheduled reports

Trend Analysis

Analyzing Emissions Over Time

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Trends
  2. Select the time period for analysis:
    • Monthly
    • Quarterly
    • Annual
    • Custom range
  3. Choose emission scopes to include
  4. Select visualization type:
    • Line chart
    • Bar chart
    • Area chart
    • Stacked area chart

Identifying Seasonal Patterns

  1. Apply seasonal decomposition:
    • Navigate to Analytics > Advanced > Seasonal Analysis
    • Select the data series
    • Choose decomposition method
    • Review trend, seasonal, and residual components
  2. Identify recurring patterns:
    • Heating/cooling seasons
    • Production cycles
    • Business seasonality

Tracking Progress Against Targets

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Targets
  2. View target vs. actual performance:
    • Absolute reduction targets
    • Intensity targets
    • Science-based targets
  3. Analyze gap to target:
    • Current gap
    • Projected gap
    • Required reduction rate

Forecasting Future Emissions

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Forecasting
  2. Select forecasting method:
    • Linear projection
    • Seasonal adjustment
    • Machine learning prediction
    • Scenario-based forecasting
  3. Configure forecast parameters:
    • Forecast horizon
    • Confidence intervals
    • Business growth assumptions
  4. Interpret forecast results:
    • Expected emissions trajectory
    • Uncertainty ranges
    • Key influencing factors

Comparative Analysis

Comparing Facilities or Business Units

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Comparison
  2. Select comparison entities:
    • Facilities
    • Departments
    • Business units
    • Products
  3. Choose comparison metrics:
    • Absolute emissions
    • Emission intensity
    • Reduction progress
    • Efficiency metrics
  4. Select visualization type:
    • Bar chart
    • Radar chart
    • Heat map
    • Parallel coordinates

Benchmarking Against Industry Standards

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Benchmarking
  2. Select industry classification
  3. Choose benchmark dataset:
    • Industry averages
    • Best-in-class performers
    • Regulatory thresholds
  4. View performance relative to benchmarks:
    • Percentile ranking
    • Gap analysis
    • Competitive positioning

Analyzing Emission Intensities

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Intensity Analysis
  2. Configure intensity metrics:
    • Emissions per revenue
    • Emissions per production unit
    • Emissions per employee
    • Emissions per square foot
  3. Compare intensity across:
    • Time periods
    • Facilities
    • Products
    • Processes

Evaluating Performance Metrics

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Performance
  2. Review key performance indicators:
    • Reduction rate
    • Target achievement
    • Data quality score
    • Completeness index
  3. Create custom performance metrics:
    • Click Create Custom Metric
    • Define calculation formula
    • Set performance thresholds
    • Configure visualization

Identifying Emission Hotspots

Using the Hotspot Analysis Tool

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Hotspots
  2. Select analysis scope:
    • Entire organization
    • Specific facility
    • Business unit
    • Emission category
  3. Choose analysis method:
    • Pareto analysis
    • Contribution analysis
    • Growth rate analysis
    • Variance analysis

Drilling Down into Emission Sources

  1. From the hotspot visualization, click on a hotspot area
  2. Explore detailed breakdown:
    • Sub-categories
    • Individual sources
    • Activity data
    • Calculation methods
  3. Toggle between absolute and relative views
  4. Export detailed source data

Prioritizing Reduction Opportunities

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Opportunities
  2. Review automatically identified opportunities:
    • Quick wins
    • High-impact projects
    • Strategic initiatives
  3. Filter opportunities by:
    • Implementation cost
    • Reduction potential
    • Implementation timeline
    • Required resources

Quantifying Potential Savings

  1. Select a reduction opportunity
  2. View estimated impacts:
    • Emission reduction potential
    • Cost savings
    • Implementation costs
    • Return on investment
    • Payback period
  3. Adjust assumptions to refine estimates
  4. Save opportunities to action plan

Modeling Reduction Scenarios

Creating Reduction Scenarios

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Scenarios
  2. Click Create New Scenario
  3. Define scenario parameters:
    • Baseline year
    • Target year
    • Reduction measures
    • Implementation timeline
  4. Name and save the scenario

Setting Reduction Targets

  1. Within your scenario, click Set Targets
  2. Choose target type:
    • Absolute reduction
    • Intensity reduction
    • Carbon neutral
    • Science-based target
  3. Configure target parameters:
    • Target year
    • Reduction percentage
    • Interim milestones
    • Scope coverage

Estimating Cost and Impact

  1. For each reduction measure, enter:
    • Implementation cost
    • Operating cost changes
    • Emission reduction potential
    • Implementation timeline
  2. View aggregated scenario metrics:
    • Total cost
    • Total reduction
    • Cost per tCO₂e
    • Net present value

Developing Action Plans

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Action Plans
  2. Create a new action plan based on your scenario
  3. Assign responsibilities:
    • Task owners
    • Approvers
    • Stakeholders
  4. Set milestones and deadlines
  5. Configure progress tracking

AI-Powered Insights

Accessing the AI Assistant

  1. Navigate to Analytics > AI Insights
  2. Click Ask a Question or select from suggested questions
  3. Type your question in natural language:
    • "What are my top emission sources?"
    • "How am I performing against targets?"
    • "Where should I focus reduction efforts?"
    • "What anomalies exist in my data?"

Using Automated Insights

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Automated Insights
  2. Review AI-generated insights:
    • Anomaly detection
    • Trend identification
    • Correlation discovery
    • Reduction recommendations
  3. Click on any insight to explore details
  4. Save valuable insights to your dashboard

Performing What-If Analysis

  1. Navigate to Analytics > What-If Analysis
  2. Configure baseline scenario
  3. Create alternative scenarios:
    • Change activity levels
    • Modify emission factors
    • Implement reduction measures
    • Adjust business growth
  4. Compare scenario outcomes
  5. Export scenario comparison

Predictive Analytics

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Predictive Models
  2. Select prediction target:
    • Future emissions
    • Target achievement likelihood
    • Reduction potential
  3. Configure model parameters:
    • Input variables
    • Prediction horizon
    • Model type
  4. Train and evaluate the model
  5. Apply model to generate predictions

Data Integration

Connecting External Data Sources

  1. Navigate to Settings > Data Integration
  2. Click Add Data Source
  3. Select source type:
    • ERP systems
    • Energy management systems
    • Building management systems
    • IoT devices
    • Financial systems
  4. Configure connection parameters:
    • API credentials
    • Connection settings
    • Data mapping
    • Refresh schedule

Integrating Business Metrics

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Business Integration
  2. Map emissions data to business metrics:
    • Revenue
    • Production volume
    • Occupancy
    • Weather data
  3. Create integrated visualizations:
    • Emissions vs. revenue
    • Energy use vs. production
    • Emissions vs. degree days

Correlation Analysis

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Correlations
  2. Select variables for analysis:
    • Emission metrics
    • Business metrics
    • Operational parameters
    • External factors
  3. Run correlation analysis
  4. Interpret correlation results:
    • Correlation coefficient
    • Statistical significance
    • Causal relationships
    • Confounding factors

Exporting Data for External Analysis

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Export
  2. Configure export parameters:
    • Date range
    • Data points to include
    • Export format
    • Aggregation level
  3. Generate and download export file
  4. Use with external tools:
    • Excel
    • Power BI
    • Tableau
    • R or Python

Custom Analytics

Creating Custom Reports

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Custom Reports
  2. Click Create New Report
  3. Select data sources and metrics
  4. Configure visualizations and layout
  5. Add narrative and context
  6. Save and schedule the report

Building Custom Dashboards

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Custom Dashboards
  2. Click Create New Dashboard
  3. Add and configure widgets:
    • Charts and graphs
    • KPI cards
    • Tables and lists
    • Text blocks
  4. Arrange dashboard layout
  5. Configure interactivity and filters
  6. Share with stakeholders

Developing Custom Metrics

  1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Metrics
  2. Click Create New Metric
  3. Define calculation formula:
    • Use existing metrics
    • Apply mathematical operations
    • Set conditional logic
  4. Configure display properties:
    • Name and description
    • Unit of measure
    • Formatting options
    • Visualization defaults

Sharing Analytics with Stakeholders

  1. Navigate to Analytics > Share
  2. Select content to share:
    • Dashboards
    • Reports
    • Visualizations
    • Insights
  3. Choose sharing method:
    • Direct link
    • Email
    • Scheduled delivery
    • Embedded content
  4. Set access permissions
  5. Track engagement metrics

Next Steps