Methodologies for the collection of hydrogeologic and geochemical data vary, as do the ways those data are managed and presented. Itasca offers consulting services to customize solutions that meet each client’s needs related to the management and presentation of hydrogeologic and geochemical data.
Itasca developed the customizable Itasca Hydrologic Observation Dataviewer (IHOD), which is a QGIS (previously known as Quantum GIS) plug-in that merges high-level database input/output with tools in order to view hydrogeologic and geochemical data. It was developed to interact directly with underlying databases to retrieve data and provide users with intuitive access to those data in graphical and tabular formats that can be readily integrated into the user's work flow. QGIS is a free, open-source geographic information system (GIS) that provides a simple graphical platform to interact with a database management system. IHOD combines various tools that have been developed by Itasca and uses QGIS' extensive libraries to generate graphics, interact with database management systems, provide file input/output, and perform numerical and statistical analyses.
IHOD was developed specifically for groundwater data management with the following key features.
- It has the flexibility to populate a database from easy-to-use file formats. IHOD can be adapted to different data-file formats based on the individual client's needs.
- It is easy to retrieve data in an immediately useful format. IHOD can output data in a client-specified format.
- It adapts to the QGIS platform. IHOD uses the QGIS GUI platform and has a similar look and feel to QGIS.
- The database is easy to transfer. A complete database may be converted to a portable database format or exported into an ASCII document containing complete instructions for rebuilding it. These methods provide a simple, fast, and error-resistant way to share data between networks, or to operate remotely.
Itasca has the latest version of Ctech Development Corporation’s EVS-PRO (now Earth Volumetric Studio), a powerful software application that is used for data analysis, visualization, and animation. This software incorporates three-dimensional gridding (including kriging), geostatistics, visualization and analysis of three-dimensional environmental data with EVS, geologic modeling, volumetric rendering and analysis, general GIS display capabilities, and more. It is well-suited to the presentation of data for site assessments, financial and remediation planning, litigation support, regulatory reporting, and public relations.
Itasca has successfully completed litigation projects using the EVS software to demonstrate geologic structures and extents of chemicals in soil and groundwater. Itasca uses the modular, customizable structure of EVS for the presentation of all types of geospatial (e.g., hydrologic, geochemical, geomechanical, and geophysical) data. The company has extensive experience using EVS for conveying data trends in time and space and for presenting comprehensive site models and complex datasets.
In addition to EVS, Itasca uses other software applications (e.g., Leapfrog, Surfer, and AutoCAD) to develop complex, three-dimensional, geologic models that can be used as inputs for groundwater flow models or as a platform for the illustration of contaminant concentrations and other environmental data. Itasca has also developed tools for presenting complex hydrogeologic data, such as pore-pressure distributions extracted from groundwater models. Itasca works with clients to find (or develop) the tools that are best suited for their data-presentation needs.
The following are the core services offered in data management and presentation:
- Consultation on database design, structure, and software options
- Construction of databases for hydrogeologic and geochemical data
- Development of customized tools for populating databases, extracting data, and visualizing data
- Development and visualization of complex, three-dimensional, geologic models
- Development of custom tools for manipulation and visualization of large, complex, three-dimensional datasets