GWSDAT
An open source, user-friendly, software application for the visualisation and interpretation of groundwater monitoring data.
A spatiotemporal model provides a more powerful analysis than spatial modelling at isolated time points or temporal modelling at isolated locations.
The simplest form of access to GWSDAT is through the on-line tool.
Guidance on use of the tool is available in the Getting Started page.
A version of the tool which can be installed locally is available either as an R package from CRAN or as an Excel interface from the API and Cl:aire. An overview of GWSDAT is given in an article in a recent Cl:aire (Contaminated Land Action in Real Environments) Technical Bulletin. A recent webinar on GWSDAT includes an overview and detailed examples of its use. (The webinar was delivered under the auspices of NICOLA – Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Africa.)
GWSDAT
GroundWater Spatiotemporal Data Analysis Tool
Spatiotemporal Modelling
The modelling of solute distribution in groundwater, based on data from monitored wells, is commonly restricted to the analysis of trends in individual wells, or to independent fitting of spatial concentration distributions by methods such as Kriging. Neither of these techniques satisfactorily elucidate the interaction between spatial and temporal components of the data. GWSDAT applies a spatiotemporal model to create a coherent interpretation of patterns of groundwater solute concentrations over space and time simultaneously. Monitoring data is entered as a simple MS Excel spreadsheet. The fitted spatiotemporal model can be displayed in graphical form or exported in numerical format. The video opposite gives an illustration of a fitted spatiotemporal map.
Business Benefits
- Rapid interpretation of complex data sets from monitoring networks, including small installations such as fuel stations and large installations such as refineries or terminals.
- More efficient evaluation and reporting of groundwater monitoring trends through interactive visualisation and simple, standardised plots and tables generated automatically.
- Early identification of new releases, migration pathways, need for corrective action and stable/declining trends that may aid in closure determinations.
- Increased data transparency leading to improved design and optimisation of groundwater monitoring or remediation programmes, in particular avoiding the collection of redundant data.
“The partnership between Shell Global Solutions and the University of Glasgow on GWSDAT is a fantastic collaboration which has improved Shell’s management and interpretation of groundwater data leading to value creation through more effective and sustainable remediation. The software tool has been made freely available and is being used widely by consultants, regulators and academic researchers globally. This means that the benefits in terms of better, more sustainable environmental management are also being shared more widely with society. Shell is proud to have worked with the University of Glasgow on this long-standing project.” Karen Westley, VP Environment for Shell
GWSDAT
GroundWater Spatiotemporal Data Analysis Tool
A joint project of Shell Global Solutions and The University of Glasgow
