Environmental Visualization Software (EVS)
EVS is a software program that allows us to present complex geological, hydrogeological, and chemical data in 3-D with time-lapse animation, thereby allowing a better understanding of the geology, hydrogeology, groundwater flow patterns, plume extent, migration pathways, remediation areas (impacted soil and groundwater volumes), etc. at a site. If your data is well organized (e.g. in an Excel, Access, and/or a large database such as EQuIS) visualizations such as those shown below can be created in less than a week’s worth of effort, depending on the complexity of the site and the amount of data.
Two examples are provided below that we have constructed using actual data from our sites.
Chromium Contamination in Soil from a Former Plating Facility
This animation depicts soil borings, sample locations, and chromium concentrations in soil in 3-D. The data points are used to create the 3-D extent of the chromium impacted soil at any specified concentration (in this case 8,000 ppm to 420 ppm). Viewing the extent of contamination in 3-D can assist in identifying location of source areas and determining the presence of contamination migration pathways. The volume of the contaminated soil and/or groundwater can also calculated with EVS, which can assist in determining practical remediation options and costs.
Groundwater Surface Response from Changing River Elevations and Pumping Wells
This animation depicts how the groundwater surface beneath an industrial site and adjacent town can be affected by changes in river stage from a neighboring river. A distinct “wave-like” motion (due to bank storage) of the groundwater surface in the aquifer can be seen in response to seasonal changes in river elevation. In addition, cones of depression from pumping wells in the town and industrial facility are visible and remain intact despite of the seasonal changes in river stage.