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Geospatial Analysis for Optimization at Environmental Sites

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Superfund Site Monitoring Optimization (MAROS)
PAH Contamination in Sediments—Uncertainty Analysis (Isatis)
Optimization of Long-Term Monitoring at Former Nebraska Ordnance Plant (GTS; Summit Envirosolutions)
Optimization of Lead-Contaminated Soil Remediation at a Former Lead Smelter (EVS/MVS)
Extent of Radiological Contamination in Soil at Four Sites near the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, Japan (ArcGIS)
Optimization of Groundwater Monitoring at a Research Facility in New Jersey (GWSDAT)
Optimization of Sediment Sampling at a Tidally Influenced Site (ArcGIS)
Stringfellow Superfund Site Monitoring Optimization (MAROS)
Lead Contamination in Soil (ArcGIS)
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Geospatial Analysis for Optimization at Environmental Sites
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Case Studies

This section includes case studies that use different geospatial methods and software packages to optimize project life cycle activities. These case studies demonstrate the usefulness of geospatial methods and the particular abilities of some common software packages. The case studies were chosen for their applicability to groundwater, soil, and sediment and for the variety of software applications that they present.
These case studies were performed for purposes other than this guidance document, were completed prior to the preparation of this document, and were done in context with individual project parameters and constraints. These real-world examples show how the software can be used to solve real problems, with limitations of time, resources, and specific project needs.

Table 10. Summary of case studies

Case study/location Life cycle stage Environmental medium Methods Software used Contaminants Applicable questions
Superfund Site, TX Monitoring Groundwater
  • Mann Kendall
  • Voronoi/Delaunay mesh
MAROS VOCs, 1-2-DCA, Benzene, Metals
  • Trend Maps
  • Monitoring Program Optimization
PAH in Sediments, Quebec, Canada Site Characterization Sediment
  • Experimental variogram
  • Uncertainty
  • Conditional Simulations
  • Isatis
Isatis PAHs
  • Hot Spot Detection
  • Sample Spacing
  • Estimating Quantities
Ordnance Plant, NE Monitoring,
Closure
Groundwater
  • Kriging
  • Iterative Thinning
  • Quasi-genetic optimization
GTS
Summit Envirosolutions
TCE, Research Department Explosives (RDX)
  • Monitoring Program Optimization
  • Remedial Program Optimization
Smelter, IL Site Characterization,
Remediation
Soil
  • Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW)
  • Kriging
  • Volumetric estimation
Environmental Visualization System (EVS)
Mining Visualization System (MVS)
Earth Volumetric Studio
EnterVol
Lead, cadmium, mercury
  • Interpolation
  • Estimating Quantities
  • Remedial Action Optimization
Nuclear Plant, Fukushima, Japan Site Characterization,
Remediation
Soil
  • IDW
  • Kriging
ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst
Cesium-137
  • Estimating Quantities
  • Hot Spot Detection
  • Interpolation
  • Estimating Average Concentrations
Research Facility, NJ Monitoring Groundwater
  • Mann-Kendall
  • Nonparametric statistics
  • Penalized splines
  • Voronoi/Delaunay mesh
GWSDAT BTEX, MTBE
  • Trend Maps
  • Quantifying Uncertainty
  • Plume Change/Attenuation Over Time
Tidal Site, NJ Site Characterization Sediment estuary
  • EDA
  • Variography
  • Point/block kriging

 

ArcGIS PCB, Aroclors
  • Sample Spacing
  • Estimating Concentrations Based on Proxy Data
  • Estimating Quantities
Superfund Site, CA Monitoring Groundwater
  • Mann-Kendall
  • Parametric linear regression
  • Voronoi/Delaunay mesh
  • Cost Effective Sampling algorithm
MAROS Perchlorate, TCE, Chloroform
  • Monitoring Program Optimization
Lead in Soil, GA Site Characterization Soil
  • Point/Block Kriging
  • Exploratory Variography
ArcGIS Lead
  • Hotspot Detection
  • Estimating Average Concentrations
  • Remedial Action Optimization

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