Power Apps Archives

Enhancing Traceability: DNA Testing Solution for Weatherbys

Weatherbys Scientific is one of the most renowned laboratories in the world, providing bovine, equine and other animal species services worldwide. For bovine animals, Weatherbys Scientific offers a range of genetic testing services for bovine animals, including parentage verification, genetic disease testing, and breeding soundness evaluations. It also offers a microchip identification service for bovine animals, which can be used to track and identify individual animals for traceability and management purposes. Moreover, it provides a range of health screening services for bovine animals, including disease testing, parasite screening, and vaccination programs.

The Challenge

Weatherbys Scientific was using an outdated database system to store and manage information on bovine pedigrees, breeding records, and genetic data. This system was difficult to use and had limited capabilities for data analysis and reporting. Most data keeping and reports were manually created in different formats using excel sheets, making it a time-consuming process, prone to errors and inconsistencies and difficult to scale up. Weatherbys Scientific used legacy LIMS to manage and track samples, test results, and lab data. The system was cumbersome and difficult to integrate with other systems, leading to delays and inaccuracies in data. Overall, Weatherbys Scientific’s legacy systems were limiting the company’s ability to manage data effectively, make informed business decisions, and provide high-quality services to customers.

The Solution

Weatherbys Scientific engaged TEKenable to provide a solution to streamline and automate their data management processes, improving operational efficiency and enhancing the user experience for clients and employees alike. TEKenable digitised the previously manual and excel-based processes by which Bovine samples were received and processed through the laboratory for the purposes of verifying or excluding parentage and testing for specific disease markers. TEKenable built an end-to-end automated solution that facilitates Weatherbys in importing submission data from a number of bovine societies. In addition, it represents submission data as samples that are processed through the lab. Moreover, it applies custom logic for the allocation of data samples to laboratory plates. It also exports and imports genotype and parentage data to/from third-party specialised systems. The new solution automatically generates result data and provides a custom dashboard to report KPIs and the operational management of the process.

TEKenable developed a system that automates the collection and processing of samples, reducing the need for manual handling and minimizing the risk of errors. Moreover, TEKenable integrated an ELN system that allows Weatherbys Scientific to electronically record and track data, making it easily accessible and searchable. TEKenable also integrated advanced data analysis and reporting tools that allow Weatherbys Scientific to quickly and easily analyze and report on results. Moreover, TEKenable built a customer portal that allows Weatherbys Scientific clients to easily access their test results and order new tests.

With this end-to-end automated data management solution, Weatherbys Scientific has been able to significantly improve efficiency and reduce costs. The system also allows them to provide their clients with faster and more accurate results.

Phase 2 – Kennel Club

In Phase 2 of this project, TEKenable was engaged by Weatherbys Scientific to help Kennel Club automate its canine DNA testing services. The Kennel Club is a client of Weatherbys Scientific, a leading provider of genetic testing and breeding services for dogs. Weatherbys Scientific offers a range of services to support the breeding and management of purebred dogs, including DNA testing, parentage verification, and genetic health assessments. The Kennel Club works closely with Weatherbys Scientific to ensure that the breeds they register are healthy and genetically sound.

TEKenable helped Kennel Club launch their new DNA testing service to improve & protect dog health and promote responsible dog breeding. The Kennel Club sought to provide pet owners with a comprehensive DNA testing service that would help them understand their dog’s genetic makeup and any potential health risks. These tests simplify the process of genetic testing by using a single cheek swab to check a dog’s DNA for markers associated with a number of different inherited disorders. The results from these tests are automatically registered to the dog’s record and are available on the Kennel Club website. This new testing service by TEKenable provides valuable information to pet owners, breeders, and veterinarians, helping to ensure that dogs are healthy and free from genetic disorders.

The Outcome

Weatherbys now has an automated data management solution that processes and analyses large amounts of bovine data quickly and accurately, reducing the chances of human error. It has helped Weatherbys reduce costs associated with manual data entry and processing. Moreover, the new solution provides Weatherbys real-time access to bovine data, allowing for faster decision-making and more timely responses to emerging issues. Moreover, the solution allows for more advanced data analysis and reporting, providing more insights into business operations and efficiency. With the new solution, Weatherbys can now process over 500,000 bovine samples in a year.

Kennel Club provides its clients with an easily affordable DNA testing service for dogs, ensuring breeders and buyers can better understand their dog’s genetics, easily check their dog’s health and be aware of any underlying health conditions they might pass on to their puppies.

Technologies Used

Microsoft PowerApps Model-Driven Apps
Microsoft Azure Functions (for automation)
Microsoft PCF Controls (for extracting .csv files to import into the other lab systems)
Microsoft Power Portal (for their customers to see KPIs and reports)

International Crisis Accommodation System in Support of Ukraine

Summary

As a result of the war in Ukraine, a large number of refugees are landing in Ireland. The Irish Red Cross has taken the initiative to ask for Pledges from the Irish Public for assistance in housing these refugees on a voluntary basis. TEKenable received an emergency request for assistance from the Irish Red Cross via Microsoft Ireland to help provide them with systems to manage the crisis pro bono. The purpose of this solution was to aid various data collection processes undertaken by the Irish Red Cross with the help of the Irish Army and Auctioneers Association during this crisis.

We delivered a Power Apps Portal for collection of accommodation assessment data from 3^rd parties like Auctioneers Association members from across Ireland. In addition, a Model Driven Power App was created for the Irish Red Cross and partner agencies to process the accommodation approvals and suitability data collected via the Portal. Both apps were delivered within 3 working days from receiving the request to deploying the apps to Production environments.

Scope of Project

The Irish Red Cross has received tens of thousands of pledges for Vacant and Shared Property from the Irish Public to help them house incoming refugees from Ukraine. The Irish Red Cross required a system that allows them to assess the conditions and suitability of each pledged property before they matched refugee families to these properties.

The Irish Army offered to work with the Auctioneers Association across the country to help with the assessment of these pledged properties. The Irish Army call centre organised appointments for the members of the Auctioneers Association to visit each of the properties and complete a property assessment form.

The property assessment forms were required to be available via a responsive (mobile device friendly) web portal or app that would allow submission of the data to the Irish Red Cross.

The Irish Red Cross needed the ability to process this data in a back-office app with the ability to see all the submitted records and publish the data via excel for sharing with their partner agencies and Irish Government Departments as well as to provide statistical analysis for Government Ministers. They also needed to categorise the data easily so they could easily identify Vacant or Shared Properties suitable for specific family sizes or disabled friendly etc.

TEKenable Contribution

After an initial few meeting’s between the Irish Red Cross, Microsoft and TEKenable senior leadership it was agreed that TEKenable would receive a format for each of the different forms required for Vacant Property Assessment and Shared Property Assessment from the Irish Red Cross. In practise due to the pressure placed on the Red Cross TEKenable was required to have more autonomy of decision making that would be usual for a non-crisis project.

TEKenable would than undertake the delivery of the online forms via Power Apps Portal and Model Driven App. TEKenable provisioned a new Irish Red Cross Emergency Tenant for hosting the apps.

Power Automate

We provisioned multiple Environments and Portals and configured Azure DevOps Pipelines to manage the ALM. TEKenable stood up a team of Power Platform consultants to help deliver the required solutions.

The Email Campaign was set up using the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing module. It allowed the IRC to have full visibility of the customer journey, from tracking the initial reminder pledge email that was sent, to viewing which people hadn’t opened the email or overlooked clicking on the pledge link and following up with them accordingly.

This information was crucial to the IRC in understanding the number of people who were still interested in pledging a property and allowed them to confirm the statistics with the government.

Outcome

The Irish Red Cross and TEKenable reviewed the solution demo, and we found the customer satisfied with the Power apps implementation despite the challenging timelines and fluid context. TEKenable provided the Power Apps Portal URLs for the Auctioneers Association members to directly access and start submitting their Property Assessments from their mobile devices.

Data is already being received into Dataverse from the portal and the Irish Red Cross have started matching and sharing extracts of the Dataverse data using the Power Apps Excel Export features.

The users had never used Power Apps previously and were given minimal training and Microsoft Docs article URLs to help them Login, navigate a Model Driven App, use Views and export data to excel so their success is a testimony to the intuitive nature of the platform.

Technology Used

Power Platform Dataverse – Power App – Model Driven

HSE Covid-19 Contact Tracing System

On a Tuesday night, in March 2020 at 9pm, TEKenable received a call for help from the Health Service Executive (HSE) via Microsoft. The HSE asked if we could muster a multi-disciplinary IT team to support the Emergency Response Team in the delivery of COVID-19 related systems. The call went out to many reputable IT providers as the HSE realised that the unique situation could not be managed using existing IT systems and business processes.

TEKenable provided seven full-time staff into the HSE by 9 am, the day after the 9 pm request was received, some on-site with the Response team in Dr Steeven’s Hospital in Dublin and some working remotely. Over the coming days KPMG, EY and PwC also responded with small teams or individuals.

What was required of us was not known at this time.

THE CHALLENGE

The immediate need was to design, build and deploy a Contact Tracing System. The system was to be designed, developed, delivered and live in a week and a half. It was to be delivered to circa 1200 users spread over multiple locations who were drawn from different disciplines. The first team to use the system would be the Irish Army, who were busy turning the ground floor of the hospital into a contact tracing centre.

THE SOLUTION

Working long hours and weekends, TEKenable collaborated on the design with the HSE and the Army, built the Contact Tracing Application, deployed it to the call centre and clinicians using a Low Code platform, and went live within the one and a half weeks deadline.

The system receives laboratory test results from COVID testing centres, triggers the initial call to positive patients, gathers details of who they have been in contact with, contacts them, does a basic medical assessment of their condition, deals with special cases such as healthcare workers and other persons with a large number of potential contacts as well as family and friends contacts. The system is a key tool in the reduction of the rate of spread of the viral outbreak.

Contact Tracing is not the only project that we have delivered in this emergency. Others include data collection via mobile applications and portal interfaces that capture data points that are critical for effective crisis management and that are not captured in any current IT systems. We are currently in the process of delivering a temporary hospital management system that addresses bed allocation, patient tracking, equipment assignment and also working on building software that is optimising the testing of potential COVID patients in temporary test centres.

As can be seen from the image below, we have also been responsible for the delivery of many other projects.

The projects include:

National Ambulance Service Capacity Monitoring;
Fatality Tracking;
Hospital Bloodstock Level Management;
Offers of Assistance;
Lab Data Collection;
Mortuary Remains Tracking;
Data Governance Access Management and
Temporary Staff Recruitment.

Additionally, we have collaborated with other service providers in creating a Data Lake for information gathering and using data visualisation tools to deliver key data and trends to the crisis management team in near real-time.

We will remain engaged with the HSE as long as the requirement persists and we continue to bring value.

We have recently integrated the highly publicised Mobile App as a data source for the Contact Tracing system and at the time of writing (August 2020) have just been awarded a contract to implement a National PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) ordering and stock management system for the HSE. This will also be delivered using the Power Platform.

THE OUTCOME

The outcome is two words – Lives Saved.

We played a small, but key, part in helping to keep people who were exposed to the virus, but unaware of that, away from others, in enabling the Emergency Response Team to have the data that they need to make informed decisions and in ensuring the effective use of finite resources. We did all this in weeks compared to a “normal project” of this scope that would have required many months, if not years to deliver, and we did so while remaining compliant with GDPR and IT security considerations.

The author of this document has 35 years of bespoke software delivery experience ranging from safety-critical systems, financial services and healthcare and I have literally never seen systems designed and developed so fast and so successfully in the context of an evolving situation, in a very stressful environment and with many dispersed stakeholders. This can become a model of software delivery for the future.