Geospatial Science and Technology: Focus Areas
Air and Water Quality
Our geospatial scientists work closely with air and water quality researchers to manage air and water data and to develop geospatial analysis and modeling methods in support of air and water quality research. We have substantial experience using federal air and water monitoring databases, including those that manage information on criteria pollutants, air toxics, PM10, PM2.5, emissions inventories, ambient air modeling networks, 305(b), 303(d), and total maximum daily load.
We employ standard geospatial analysis techniques and develop new and innovative methods for specialized air and water quality research. Areas of particular strength include
- Integration and analysis of air dispersion and air deposition models in geospatial environments
- Use of large-scale surface water flow analysis and modeling techniques, developed for use with national geospatial hydrography databases such as the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and NHDPlus
We developed the automated procedures used to conflate and integrate the U.S. Geological Survey’s digital line graph-enhanced hydrography layer with EPA’s Reach File Version 3 hydrography layer to produce the initial NHD. We also developed the complex visual/manual editing software used to check and correct errors in the automated procedures.
We have developed many desktop and Web-based systems to collect, manage, analyze, and disseminate complex national water datasets for EPA, including the Drinking Water Mapping Application and the PC-based and Web-based Reach Indexing Tools.
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