Learn the proven process for connecting your internal data systems to Mapistry's Environmental Data Platform through API automation
Environmental compliance teams at manufacturing facilities face a common challenge: valuable operational data sits locked in various systems—SAP, PI historians, flow meters, weather stations—while compliance reporting still relies on manual data entry or spreadsheet uploads.
The solution? API automation that connects your existing data systems directly to your compliance platform. But getting there requires a clear data mapping process.
Julia Ballou from Mapistry recently walked through this exact process in a webinar. Whether you're just starting to explore automation or you're ready to connect with your IT team, this guide breaks down everything you need to know.
Julia created a practical handout that summarizes the entire data mapping process, complete with templates you can use when working with your IT team.
Before your IT team can write a single line of code to automate data transfer, you need to answer one fundamental question: What data do we actually need, and where does it come from?
This is where data mapping comes in. It's the process of identifying every input your compliance logs require, determining which inputs can be automated, and matching your internal system IDs with the corresponding fields in Mapistry.
As Julia explained in the webinar: "Identifying each input and where they come from is the most important first step of every log setup and data mapping process."
Start with your existing compliance spreadsheets. For each input column, you need to determine where that data originates.
Julia recommends adding a column next to each input to note its source, then consolidating everything into a single table with these categories:
For API-eligible inputs, you'll also need to identify:
Example from the webinar:
Armed with your data mapping table, you're ready to loop in your IT team. Julia has found that having this information prepared upfront significantly accelerates the process.
Here's the conversation starter Julia recommends:
"I have identified environmental data that I want to automate and send to Mapistry via API. I have a list of the inputs I need and which systems they come from. I want to know what corresponding ID this item has in our system and make sure the data is available and in the format I need it. Do you have time to help me with this?"
When you meet with IT, review your data mapping table together. Walk through each system to:
This collaborative session helps fill in any gaps in your system ID column and surfaces potential technical blockers early.
Once you've completed your data mapping table and confirmed availability with IT, it's time to bring Mapistry into the conversation:
At this stage, Mapistry creates the "receiving end" of the data connection—the logs and fields where your data will flow.
Now your IT team has everything they need:
Your IT team will write a script that pulls data from your internal systems and posts it to Mapistry at the required frequency.
Julia recommends creating one comprehensive table that combines all this information:
The status column helps you track progress and know exactly what to follow up on with IT.
Once the API connection is established and data starts flowing, don't assume everything is perfect. Julia recommends verifying:
This is one of the most common challenges. Julia's advice: be persistent and make it as easy as possible for IT by doing the upfront work. When you present a complete data mapping table with clear, specific requirements, you reduce the burden on IT and make it easier for them to prioritize your request.
Sometimes data exists but the ID isn't easily accessible. Work with IT to dig deeper into your systems. Julia recommends: "Keep asking for the source. If someone says they run a report, ask 'where do you go to run that report? Can you show me the system?'"
Julia suggests Googling "[System name] + API" to see if the vendor provides API documentation. If they do, connection is typically much easier. Common systems that work well with API connections include SAP, PI, AVEVA, and various IoT devices.
That's okay. As Renald mentioned in the webinar, you can start with partial automation. Connect what you can now, and continue with manual entry for the rest. You can always add more automated connections later as systems are upgraded or new data historians are installed.
The webinar focused on the "how," but it's worth remembering the "why." API automation of environmental compliance data:
For facilities tracking air emissions, water discharge, waste generation, or hazardous materials, automation transforms compliance from a reactive, administrative burden into a proactive, strategic function.
As you work through this process, these terms will come up frequently:
API (Application Programming Interface): The "bridge" that lets two software systems communicate. Mapistry's API lets your internal systems send environmental data directly into Mapistry without manual entry.
Data Historian: Systems like AVEVA or PI that store time-series process data such as throughput, temperature, pressure, or flow rates.
IoT Devices: Sensors that automatically collect and transmit data—weather stations, pH probes, flow meters, etc.
Scripts: Custom code your IT team writes to automate tasks like pulling data from your systems and sending it to Mapistry.
POST: The API command that sends new data to Mapistry and creates new log entries.
GET: The API command that retrieves data that's already in Mapistry (useful for IT when setting up connections).
If you're ready to start automating your environmental compliance data:
Remember Julia's advice: "Persistence can be key to getting these implementations set up. They can take some time. So having you be aware of the information needed and the steps of the process can be really helpful in moving things along."
Questions about data mapping or API automation for your environmental compliance program? Contact Mapistry or speak with your Customer Success Manager.