> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.salvidia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What data you'll need

> A practical checklist of the data that feeds an organisation assessment, and who in your company usually has it.

You don't need everything on this list to get started — an assessment built on spend data alone is a legitimate first pass. But the more of your major categories you can cover with real activity data, the more accurate your footprint becomes.

## The one thing that unlocks the most

**Your accounting ledger.** Connecting your accounting platform (or exporting your general ledger for the reporting period) gives Salvidia visibility over everything you spent money on. That's the backbone of Scope 3 coverage — purchases, services, freight, subscriptions, contractors — without weeks of manual data collection.

Who has it: **finance**, in about five minutes.

## Scope 1 — what you burn and leak

| Data                                     | Where it usually lives                         |
| ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Fuel for company vehicles (litres or \$) | Fuel cards, fleet reports, finance             |
| Natural gas / LPG for buildings          | Utility bills                                  |
| Diesel for generators or equipment       | Fuel purchase records, site managers           |
| Refrigerant top-ups                      | Air-con and refrigeration maintenance invoices |

## Scope 2 — the energy you buy

| Data                                     | Where it usually lives               |
| ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Electricity (kWh per site)               | Electricity bills or retailer portal |
| GreenPower or renewable energy contracts | Energy contracts, finance            |

<Note>
  Bills beat estimates. If you can only chase down one piece of activity data, make it your electricity kWh — it's usually easy to get and often a material slice of the footprint.
</Note>

## Scope 3 — everything your activity causes

Much of Scope 3 is covered automatically by your ledger via spend-based factors. The categories worth upgrading with activity data, because they're usually material:

| Data                                  | Where it usually lives                           |
| ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Flights (routes or distances)         | Travel booking platform, travel agent reports    |
| Hotel nights                          | Travel bookings, expense system                  |
| Employee commuting                    | A short staff survey (postcode + mode is enough) |
| Waste (tonnes or bin lifts by stream) | Waste contractor invoices                        |
| Freight (tonne-km or courier spend)   | Logistics providers, finance                     |

## A realistic collection plan

1. **Week 1:** connect the ledger. You now have a complete spend-based draft.
2. **Week 2:** collect electricity, gas, and fuel — this locks down Scope 1 and 2 with real numbers.
3. **Week 3:** chase the two or three biggest Scope 3 categories your draft reveals. Don't guess which ones matter; let the first pass tell you.

That sequencing means you're never blocked waiting for perfect data, and every week of effort goes to the categories that actually move your number.

***

## Where to go next

* [Working with data in Salvidia](/platform/working-with-data)
* [Activity-based vs spend-based](/guides/activity-based-vs-spend-based)