To solve
this problem, NASA needed an integrated data management system
to correlate sample data and output reports compliant with EPA
standards. The assessment process was greatly enhanced by the
data generated in these reports. NASA’s goal was to present
the EPA with a clear and valid picture regarding the Ames facility.
The software
needed to run on standard DOS machines, accept hundreds of megabytes
of data, and equip users with a simple interface for querying
data logically and easily. It also needed to generate informative
graphics, tables, cross sections and contours necessary for
data interpretation. After an extensive review process of the
available choices on the market, NASA chose GIS\Key™, developed
by GIS\Solutions, Inc. of Concord, California. GIS\Key™ was
the first software designed by environmental management experts
to integrate database, graphics and modeling analysis tools
into a single system. It is also the only environmental data
management system ever accepted for review by the EPA’s
Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program.
To measure
the scope of a contaminant problem, samples from soil and groundwater
levels are taken from numerous bores or wells on the site. A
lab then analyzes the samples to measure the chemical concentrations
of various compounds; e.g., trichloroethylene (TCE). Samples
are taken and analyzed, usually at regular intervals, to get
a clearer picture of the contaminant’s progress over time.
In this case, the sheer volume of data, collected from 2,000
wells for several years, would quickly become overwhelming without
the proper data management tool.
It was
a relatively straightforward process to import the chemical,
geologic and hydrologic data previously compiled by the other
two Superfund sites into the GIS\Key™ system using electronic
formats, since GIS\Key™ uses industry standard file formats
for data exchange (e.g., DXF, DWG and DBF). The result, according
to NASA hydrogeologist Patrick Hogan, was that "we could
now very quickly manage the output and visualization of the
data considering dozens of scenarios" to test different
theories about contamination sources.
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