Events Calendar

The Use of Visual Engineering Techniques at Major Environmental Remediation Projects

Presented by Dr. Ian A. Webster
President and Founder
Project Navigator, Ltd.
Brea, CAAbstractProject Navigator, Ltd. (PNL) is an environmental engineering project management firm which is presently working on some of the west coast's most complex remediation projects. The sites tend to be old, abandoned oil field waste disposal sites from the 1930's to the 1970's which coincided with the peak in oil production in Southern California. With rising land values, these sites are also now attractive land redevelopment prospects. The technical and political challenge is to devise remedial solutions which are cost-effective and protective of the environment, while at the same time do not compromise any longer term development opportunities, whether they be for housing or recreation. Site remedies also need to be endorsed by local communities, city stakeholders, and environmental activists. This is a difficult challenge, for the data on which a remedy is selected is highly technical, complex and voluminous. Many stakeholders typically exercise their rights to understand this information and interpret the data in a manner which is consistent with their own interests. This is where environmental engineering, public policy and politics collide. One solution technique is to believe that informed project stakeholders will be more agreeable to work with. To overcome information interpretation and communication challenges, PNL has been making extensive use of data and digital site visualization techniques. We use the following tools to explain our work: animation, storyboarding, model building, and interactive 3D data displays. This talk will focus on some case studies and demonstrate the value added by employing visual engineering to assist in project advocacy.

Location: Seeley G.Mudd Bldg., Room 101

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Evangeline Reyes