NRW Wales Incident Reporting System (WIRS): enhancing & improving NRW’s incident recording with AMX
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) was established in 2013 through the amalgamation of several organisations (EA-Wales, Forestry Commission in Wales, and Countryside Council for Wales), and took its remit from the Welsh Government. NRW continued to use the Environment Agency’s incident recording system to manage environmental incidents. However, this arrangement was only temporary. NRW was given a deadline of 2016, after which it would no longer have access to the existing system. This situation created an urgent need for NRW to develop its own incident recording solution—one that would meet its specific operational needs and ensure continuity of service. Recognising this, NRW began designing a new system with the support of AMX..
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As AMX was already delivering services to other departments within NRW, it was a logical choice to extend the partnership. By harnessing the configurable nature of the AMX platform, NRW developed a bespoke incident recording system. This new system expanded the scope of incident reporting of flooding and various types of pollution to encompass a broader range of environmental issues, including forestry and conservation/wildlife concerns. The collaboration with AMX ensured that NRW not only met the 2016 deadline but also enhanced its capability to monitor and respond to environmental incidents effectively across Wales.
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Incidents logged using the WIRS AMX solution:
2025 4500 reports
2024 13,843 reports
2023 9000 reports
2022 8500 reports
2021 9500 reports
2020 8000 reports
​(At the beginning of 2024, numerous flooding incidents occurred, resulting in an increase in reported cases. (2025 as of June)​
Benefits of Using AMX
The latest iteration of the system represents a marked improvement in both speed and reliability compared to the previous solution used in conjunction with the Environment Agency (EA). Initially, NRW utilised the desktop version of AMX for the WIRS (Wales Incident Recording System). However, a transition to AMX Web has since occurred, bringing substantial performance enhancements and increased functionality. The web-based platform has significantly reduced the need for technical support from the AMX team, as its improved stability and performance have led to fewer system issues. Furthermore, the enhanced usability of the system, including features such as single sign-on, has contributed to a more streamlined and user-friendly experience for staff. Customer support from AMX has consistently maintained a high standard. On the occasions when technical issues have occurred, the support team has responded promptly and effectively, ensuring minimal disruption to operations. One particularly valuable addition to the system is the ability to upload photographs directly into incident reports. This feature has proven to be a game-changer for on-site inspectors, enabling more comprehensive and visually supported reporting from the field.
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Upgrading to AMX Web​
Lifecycle reporting and monitoring have enabled the team to identify and eliminate duplicate entries, resulting in a more efficient system that now spans nearly a decade’s worth of data. The ability to analyse trends—such as patterns in pollution incidents or seasonal events like flooding and wildfires—has significantly improved. Enhanced reporting capabilities now support the team in aiming to close incident reports within 30 days. The system also enables users to track the number of reports that have remained open over the past 12 months, providing greater oversight and operational awareness. Since transitioning to the web-based version of AMX, the ability to export data into tools such as Power BI or Excel has proven particularly valuable. The system now handles extensive and complex reports with significantly greater efficiency and reliability.​
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The new system is superior to the previously used system in the EA days.
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The web version has sped up the workflow and overall performance for end users at NRW.
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Integrating single sign-in linked to one account instead of separate usernames and passwords.
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The inclusion of attaching photos to reports has saved on-site inspectors and operators valuable time and paperwork.
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The system provides avenues to do prosecution recharge for any time and equipment that NRW used resources on.​
Overall, the team at NRW has been pleased with the partnership with AMX, which has helped plug the gap with a competent reporting solution. Both parties aim to continually refine and tweak the system to ensure it operates as efficiently and effectively as possible.
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"With the ability to upload images, our operations teams can make informed decisions about whether to attend an incident, whether it requires their presence, and whether it constitutes a significant incident, thereby making more accurate assessments. The reporting functionality is very useful, as it allows us to filter down to exactly what we need and export the data, which has been very helpful for us.​"
