The Compliance Monitoring Data system - VAHTI

The VAHTI compliance data system functions as a tool for the 13 regional environment centres in their work on processing and monitoring permits. The data system contains information on the environmental permits of clients and on their wastes generated, discharges into water and emissions to air. In the future, the system will also include information on noise emissions. This baseline data is used by the environment centres and by other interested parties. Additionally, case management has been incorporated into the system.

VAHTI also contains information on how installations comply with environmental regulations. At the beginning of 2005, a new application will be added that contains data on how the regional environment centres carry out their compliance monitoring.

Currently, there are 800 active users of the system and it has a sound reputation as an effective tool in the everyday work of the environmental administration. Moreover, the data system already provides substantial reports for the diverse needs of the administration and for other interested parties needing information.

The user interface makes it possible to add new customers, change or add customers' data, retrieve reports from the database and write inspection reports. Additionally, the system has other helpful functions, such as mapping functions and a calendar to remind an inspector of time limits.

VAHTI is a customer information system (operators must have an environmental permit from the authorities) containing, for example, the following information (Figures 1 and 2):

identification contact persons respective authorities licence conditions environmental insurance loading points, such as stacks and sewers emissions control equipment treatment plans boilers and fuels used landfills emissions to air, discharges to water and wastes energy production raw materials production water consumption fish farming peat production animal shelters analyses
	Figure 1.
	Figure 2.

In the year 2003 VAHTI contained information on 31 000 clients. The table below shows the number of installations that reported environmental loading of waste or environmental loading into air or water.

The permit, or the emissions monitoring and reporting programme annexed to the permit, includes orders on what the operator (i.e. person or legal person in charge of a facility) must report to the authorities. Operators are encouraged to send their periodical reports to the authorities electronically via the TYVI operator (TYVI = flow of information from customers to authorities), see Figure 3.  

                                                    Figure 3.                                                           

For more information:

Mr. Markku Hietamäki, Environment Counsellor, Ministry of the Environment
e-mail: firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi [markku hietamaki]