Blowline Data · Data audit
Sample document with fictional data
Data audit for Ballena Azul Tours
Initial review of operational data sources
1Summary
Ballena Azul Tours generates valuable data, but it is spread across four systems that do not talk to each other. The sighting log, the asset with the most commercial potential, is kept on paper. Four low-cost changes would get the operator's data ready for a KPI dashboard within 4 to 6 weeks.
2Data inventory
| Source | Format | Quality | Current use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookings | Shared spreadsheet | Good | Billing only |
| Sighting log | Paper notebook | Poor | None, not digitized |
| Guest surveys | Google Forms, sporadically | Partial | Occasional manual review |
| GPS tracks | Not recorded | No data | None |
| Weather data | Not recorded | No data | None |
Figure 1. Usable records by source
Share of the season's trips with a complete, digital record in each source.
3Findings
- The most commercially valuable data is the worst managed. Sightings are written on paper, with no fixed fields, and only 12% of the season has been digitized.
- There is no single source. Bookings, surveys and the log are never cross-referenced, so customer satisfaction cannot be linked to what they saw on the trip.
- Two cheap-to-record variables are missing. GPS position and sea conditions likely explain much of the difference between good and poor trips.
4Recommended changes
| Priority | Action | Impact | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Move the log into a structured sheet: date, time, species, count and coordinates. | High | Low |
| 2 | Record the GPS track of every trip with a mobile app. | High | Medium |
| 3 | Link bookings, surveys and the log with a shared trip ID. | Medium | Low |
| 4 | Note wind and swell on every trip. | Medium | Medium |
5Next steps
With these four changes, the data would be ready for a season KPI dashboard within 4 to 6 weeks. With two or three seasons of records there would be enough history for a sighting-probability model by date and area.
Blowline Data · blowlinewhales.com
Ballena Azul Tours is a fictional operator. All figures are illustrative.