Abstract
The study supports the advancement of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) follow-up,
particularly the use of Independent Environmental Control Officer (ECO) reports to provide insight
and harness learning opportunities. Record keeping is part of the issued Department of Fishery
Forestry and Environmental Authorisations (EA) conditions, the permit holder is responsible for
ensuring that records are archived (Wessels and Morrison-Saunders, 2011; Jordaan, 2010; Cele,
2016;). The records are to be made accessible to interested and affected parties (I&AP) if and when
requested.
Due to the plethora of ECO reports that exist in both government and private sectors combined with
massive strides that have taken place in data analytics, the opportunity for this previously
underutilised knowledge reservoir to be transformed into a tool that can assist the profession in
achieving its mission of managing environmental impacts and minimizing environmental damage
during construction projects now exists (Sánchez and André, 2013). The advent of data analytics
and this massive knowledge source paired together can be a game changer in not just our
knowledge and understanding of the environmental management process in the past but also our
understanding of how we will manage projects going into the future.
In this study, eight (8) environmental aspects (Traffic, Water Quality, Noise, Archaeology and
Cultural Sites, Fauna and Flora, Air Quality, Waste, and Community Engagement) are identified,
and compliance scores are analysed & evaluated.