ETV Joint Verification Statement Environmental Decision Support Software Arcview GIS Version 3.1 Using Arcview Spatial Analyst Andarcview 3d Analyst Extensions


THE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM

SEPA ElV ornl

ETV Joint
Verification Statement

TECHNOLOGY TYPE:

ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE

APPLICATION:

INTEGRATION AND VISUALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DATA SETS

TECHNOLOGY NAME:

ArcView GIS Version 3.1 using ArcView Spatial Analyst and
ArcView 3D Analyst extensions

COMPANY:

Environmental Systems Research Institute

ADDRESS:

380 New York Street PHONE: (714) 379-7000
Redlands, CA 92373-8100

WEBSITE:

www.esri.com

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology
Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental
technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ETV
Program is to further environmental protection by substantially accelerating the acceptance and use of
improved and cost-effective technologies. ETV seeks to achieve this goal by providing high-quality,
peer-reviewed data on technology performance to those involved in the design, distribution, financing,
permitting, purchase, and use of environmental technologies.

ETV works in partnership with recognized standards and testing organizations and stakeholder groups
consisting of regulators, buyers, and vendor organizations, with the full participation of individual
technology developers. The program evaluates the performance of innovative technologies by
developing test plans that are responsive to the needs of stakeholders, conducting field or laboratory tests
(as appropriate), collecting and analyzing data, and preparing peer-reviewed reports. All evaluations are
conducted in accordance with rigorous quality assurance protocols to ensure that data of known and
adequate quality are generated and that the results are defensible.

The Site Characterization and Monitoring Technologies Pilot, one of 12 technology areas under ETV, is
administered by EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). With the support of the U.S.
Department of Energy's Environmental Management program, NERL selected a team from Brookhaven
National Laboratory (BNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to perform the verification of
environmental decision support software. This verification statement provides a summary of the test
results of a demonstration of Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI's) ArcView®
environmental decision support software (DSS) and its extensions ArcView Spatial Analyst® and 3D
Analyst™.

EPA-VS-SCM-35

The accompanying notice is an integral part of this verification statement

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DEMONSTRATION DESCRIPTION

In September 1998, the performance of five DSS products was evaluated at the New Mexico Engineering
Research Institute located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In October 1998, a sixth DSS product was
tested at BNL in Upton, New York. Each technology was independently evaluated by comparing its
analysis results with measured field data and, in some cases, known analytical solutions to the problem.

Depending on the software, each was assessed for its ability to evaluate one or more of the following
endpoints of environmental contamination problems: visualization, sample optimization, and cost-benefit
analysis. The capabilities of the DSS were evaluated in the following areas: (1) the effectiveness of
integrating data and models to produce information that supports the decision, and (2) the information
and approach used to support the analysis. Secondary evaluation objectives were to examine the DSS for
its reliability, resource requirements, range of applicability, and ease of operation. The verification study
focused on the developers' analysis of multiple test problems with different levels of complexity. Each
developer analyzed a minimum of three test problems. These test problems, generated mostly from actual
environmental data from six real remediation sites, were identified as Sites A, B, D, N, S, and T. The use
of real data challenged the software systems because of the variability in natural systems. The technical
evaluation team performed a complete baseline analysis for each problem. These results, along with the
data were used as a baseline for comparison with the DSS results.

ESRI staff used ArcView GIS Version 3.1 and its Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst extensions to perform
the visualization endpoint using data from Sites A, B, and N. The Site A test problem, a three-
dimensional groundwater cost-benefit problem, required an analysis of remediation volume as a function
of cleanup levels for two volatile organic compounds (perchloroethene and trichloroethane). Data were
supplied at a series of wells for one representative period. Within each well, data were collected on a 5-ft
vertical spacing from the top of the water table to the confining bedrock. The Site B test problem was a
two-dimensional groundwater contamination sample optimization problem for three contaminants
(trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and technetium-99). Developers were provided with a series of wells
containing contaminant concentrations and were asked to specify additional locations in which to collect
more data to better define the nature and extent of contamination. The Site N test problem was a two-
dimensional soil contamination cost-benefit problem. This problem included three heavy metal
contaminants (arsenic, cadmium, and chromium). The objective was to define the cost (area) of
remediation as a function of two cleanup levels for each contaminant.

The intent of the ArcView analyses was to demonstrate the capability to integrate large quantities of data
into a visual framework to assist in understanding a site's contamination problem. For the Site N
analysis, ArcView was used to estimate the area and costs associated with cleanup to different threshold
levels. Sample optimization components of the test problems were not performed.

Details of the demonstration, including an evaluation of the software's performance, may be found in the
report entitled Environmental Technology Verification Report: Environmental Systems Research
Institute, ArcView GIS Version 3.1 using ArcView Spatial Analyst and ArcView 3D Analyst Extensions,
EPA/600/R-99/094.

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

ArcView GIS version 3.1 is a geographic information system (GIS). One function of the software is to
help environmental professionals quickly and comprehensively characterize, manage, and visualize
information relevant to understanding environmental contamination problems. The ArcView GIS
integrates common database operations, such as query and statistical analysis, with the visualization and
geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. The Spatial Analyst extension was developed to solve
problems requiring that distance or other continuous surface modeling information be considered as part
of the analysis. The 3D Analyst extension permits the creation of three-dimensional surface models and

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assists users with three primary tasks—surface model construction, analysis, and display. ArcView and
its extensions operate on Windows 95, 98, and NT platforms.

VERIFICATION OF PERFORMANCE

The following performance characteristics of ArcView GIS Version 3.1 and its extensions Spatial
Analyst and 3D Analyst were observed:

Decision Support: ArcView GIS version 3.1 was able to quickly import data on contaminant
concentrations, geologic structure, and surface structure from a variety of sources with different formats
and integrate this information on a single platform. It was able to place the information in a visual
context that supports data interpretation.

Documentation of the ArcView Analysis: ArcView generated reports that provided an adequate
explanation of the process and parameters used to analyze each problem. Documentation of data transfer,
manipulation of the data (e.g., how to treat contamination data as a function of depth in a well), and
analyses were included. Model selection and parameters for contouring were also provided in the
exportable documentation. ArcView generated graphical output in . jpg format and incorporated this
directly into a Microsoft Word file.

Comparison with Baseline Analysis and Data: ArcView generated hydraulic head, ground surface
elevation, bedrock elevation, and contaminant concentration maps. The maps ranged from posting of a
marker at each data location, in which the size was proportional to the value of the parameter being
represented (e.g., contamination level), to generation of concentration contours. Comparison of the
contours of concentration and hydraulic head with the data and the baseline analysis showed that
ArcView results were consistent with the measured values. ArcView accurately mapped wells, buildings,
and site features. It accurately posted data to sample locations and hot-linked data to well locations. The
Site N cost-benefit analysis performed using ArcView estimated the volume of contamination and the
cost of remediation and was found to be consistent with the data and baseline analysis.

Multiple Lines of Reasoning: ESRI staff used ArcView, Spatial Analyst, and 3D Analyst to provide
multiple interpretations of the data with different contouring algorithms and contouring parameters. The
best fit to the data was provided for review. The multiple representations of the data permitted a better
understanding of the extent of the contamination problem.

In addition to performance criteria, the following secondary criteria were evaluated.

Ease of Use: The demonstration showed that the basic features in ArcView were easy to use. An analyst
with a background in environmental problems and a basic knowledge of database and GIS operations can
use ArcView after one to two days of training. The ArcView platform has a graphical user interface with
a logical menu structure to permit use of the options in the software package. ArcView supports data
queries that permit evaluation of the data based on user-defined criteria, for example, using only
trichloroethene data collected in 1999 for contouring. This query capability is a powerful data analysis
tool. ArcView was demonstrated to accept a wide range of formats when importing data (e.g., database
files, drawing files in .shp and .jpg formats) and can export files using a large number of formats. Use of
advanced features, such as the Avenue scripting language, would require additional training and regular
use.

Efficiency and Representativeness: ESRI staff completed three visualization problems and generated the
report documenting the analysis with 12 person-days of effort. ArcView has a flexible database structure
that supports multiple data input formats. This provides a platform that addresses problems efficiently
and can be tailored to the problem under study. ArcView permits queries on any field (e.g., chemical

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name, date, concentration, well identifiers) and also permits filtering (e.g., include only data between
certain dates, maximum concentration at a location over a range of sample dates). The software has the
capability to evaluate a wide range of environmental conditions (e.g., contaminant in groundwater, soil,
multiple contaminants on a single site).

Training and Technical Support: ArcView offers several options for training and technical support. A
detailed on-line help system is supplied with the software package, and a user's manual is available to
assist in operation of the software. A step-by-step tutorial that covers the major features is provided with
the software package. A one-day training course is available if desired. Technical support is available for
a yearly maintenance fee.

Operator Skill Base : To use ArcView efficiently, the operator should have a basic understanding of the
use of computer software in analyzing environmental problems. This includes fundamental knowledge
about GIS and relational database files. In addition, knowledge about contouring environmental data sets
is beneficial.

Platform: ArcView was demonstrated on a Windows NT 4.0 operating system. It requires a minimum of
128 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM). During the demonstration, two machines were
used. For Sites B and N, a 233-MHz Pentium II laptop with 128 MB of RAM, a 5-gigabyte hard drive
and standard 1024x768 video monitor was used. The laptop was equipped with an internal CD drive, a
1-gigabyte Jazz drive, and a PCMCIA network adapter. For the Site A analysis, the computer contained a
300-MHz Pentium II processor with 128 MB of RAM and an Elsa Gloria XLM graphics card with 16
MB of video RAM and an Open GL chipset. This computer was equipped with an internal CD drive, a
1-gigabyte Jazz drive, an internal network adapter, and a 19-in. monitor.

Cost: Pricing varies for single stand-alone systems through enterprise-wide systems. Currently, the
government price for the Windows version of a single stand-alone system of ArcView GIS Version 3.1 is
$996; for Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst, the Government Services Administration price is $2342 each.
Prices for these products for private industry or for use on a UNIX-based operating system are slightly
higher.

Overall Evaluations: The main strength of ArcView, Spatial Analyst, and 3D Analyst is their ability to
easily integrate data and maps in a single platform to allow spatial visualization of the data. The
visualization output was clear and easy to understand. The ability to sort and query data makes
examination of a subset of the data easy to perform. ArcView's ability to manage data files from a wide
range of sources makes it suitable for managing complex environmental contamination problems. The
ease of use makes ArcView and its extensions accessible for the occasional user who wants to view the
spatial correlation between data. For the more advanced user, the scripting language, Avenue, makes the
ArcView products extremely flexible and customizable for problem-specific applications. ArcView is a
mature product with a large customer base.

The technical team concluded that for visualization of environmental data sets, there were no major
limitations in the ArcView set of programs. Minor problems noticed by the technical team included the
inability to open some of the project files provided at the demonstration and, for a new user, the need to
learn the terminology to understand the operation of ArcView (e.g., "scenes", "themes", "program
files").

The credibility of a computer analysis of environmental problems depends on good data, reliable and
appropriate software, adequate conceptualization of the site, and a technically defensible problem
analysis. The results of the demonstration show that the ArcView software can be used to generate
reliable and useful analyses for evaluating environmental contamination problems. This is the only
component of a credible analysis that can be addressed by the software. The results of an ArcView

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analysis can support decision-making. ArcView has been employed in a variety of environmental
applications. Although ArcView has been demonstrated to have the capability to produce reliable and
useful analyses, improper use of the software can cause the results of the analysis to be misleading or
inconsistent with the data. As with any complex environmental DSS product, the quality of the output is
directly dependent on the skill of the operator.

As with any technology selection, the user must determine if this technology is appropriate for the
application and the project data quality objectives. For more information on this and other verified
technologies visit, the ETV web site at http://www.epa.gov/etv.

Gary J. Foley, Ph D
Director

National Exposure Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development

David E. Reichle

ORNL Associate Laboratory Director

Life Sciences and Environmental Technologies

NOTICE: EPA verifications are based on evaluations of technology performance under specific, predetermined
criteria and appropriate quality assurance procedures. EPA, ORNL, and BNL make no expressed or implied
warranties as to the performance of the technology and do not certify that a technology will always operate as
verified. The end user is solely responsible for complying with any and all applicable federal, state, and local
requirements. Mention of commercial product names does not imply endorsement.

EPA-VS-SCM-35 The accompanying notice is an integral part of this verification statement

October 1999

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