GIS Enhances Groundwater Quality Program
Client Challenge
A US-based producer of oil and natural gas required establishment of a multi-state groundwater quality database to support their drilling operations. The massive five-state program was designed to meet regulatory and liability protection requirements. The company was challenged to manage and properly glean from data collected, as there were commonly multiple sources of parcel data and overlapping of parcels identified for sampling during different stages of the drilling program.
GES Solution
Automation of tasks was clearly needed to meet the needs for rapid and accurate data processing. GES evaluated the business requirements and implemented a streamlined geographic information system (GIS) solution for data acquisition, revisions, and generation of map documents. Careful planning of the database allowed for easy normalization of the parcel data, regardless of the source. The parcel data was then versioned to allow for quality assurance/quality control of edits and updates as the sampling program progressed.
GES programmers developed a web-based map application to interface directly with the enterprise GIS solution. This presents information in a secure environment to field-data collection staff, project management teams, and client representatives. It allows the field staff to confirm their location against known property boundaries, ensuring that samples are collected from the correct parcel. Project managers are provided with accurate and timely project completion tracking and the client obtains mapping documentation to aid their planning and decision making.
Client Value
GES’ GIS solution allowed for efficient use of manpower, which reduced figure-generation efforts by 60%. The ability to identify parcels previously sampled during initial task-order processing reduced sampling effort by 15%. To date, GES has generated over 5,000 individual parcel diagrams and 130 specific figures that are updated quarterly for project tracking and decision-making support.