Putting sustainability data to work without cumbersome processes: carbon footprint calculation built on a scalable cloud service

Weasel Software designed and implemented a carbon footprint calculation system for DataFarm in the AWS cloud. Weasel Software was responsible for the service’s infrastructure, adapting it to work with different accounting systems, and the visual design of the final report. The result was an easy-to-use, technically scalable service that can provide companies with regular carbon footprint reports.

“Our collaboration with Weasel Software ran smoothly. From our very first meeting, they demonstrated a deep understanding of our business needs, which helped make our product development project a great success. It is easy to turn to Weasel Software when we need a knowledgeable, solution-oriented partner for a project,” says Juuso Fabritius, COO of Data Farm.

Weasel Software built a system to handle variable demand

Usage of the carbon footprint calculation system is not constant but varies throughout the month. For each customer company, the calculation process typically runs once a month, when the service retrieves the data and performs the calculation. The calculations take place at different times for different customers.

This called for an architecture that could scale with usage without unnecessarily heavy infrastructure. Weasel Software implemented the entire software solution in the AWS cloud, whose elasticity is well suited to this variable usage pattern. Weasel Software was also responsible for designing adapters for different accounting systems and ensuring that the resulting report is clear and visually polished for the customer.

“The system is continuously developed, and development takes place directly in the cloud using a modern serverless computing approach. The nature of the service naturally led to an architecture that is quite simple, cost-effective and scalable,” says Nicklas Karlsson, the architect at Weasel Software who was responsible for the system.

Clear reporting makes the calculation results useful

Calculating a carbon footprint does not create value on its own. The value comes from presenting the results in a way that a company can understand, monitor and use in its day-to-day operations.

That is why Weasel Software’s role in the project went beyond the technical infrastructure to include the visual design of the final report. The aim was to ensure that the calculation results did not remain purely technical data but gave the customer a useful view of the sustainability impacts of its operations.

The report allows companies to track how their actions and choices affect their carbon footprint. When information is presented clearly, it is easier to use both for internal development and external communication.