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A Web-based GIS Tool for Developing Sampling Designs
Citation:
Boe, T., W. Calfee, S. Lee, E. Silvestri, M. Rodgers, C. Schwind, AND C. Hayes. A Web-based GIS Tool for Developing Sampling Designs. 2022 EPA GIS Workshop, Cincinnati, OH, April 12 - 14, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
HSRP’s Trade-off Tool for Sampling (TOTS) was recently nominated for the Mason Hewitt Award for Excellence in GIS. The award recognizes GIS technical excellence that is of national, regional, or program significance. The Award was established and first awarded in 1995 after Mason Hewitt, one of the founders of EPA’s geospatial program, died after a tragic motorcycle accident. Each year at the EPA GIS Workgroup Spring Meeting, the EPA’s Geographic Information System (GIS) Community selects the winner of the Mason Hewitt Award through a membership vote. A maximum of five award nominees were made and will compete via votes cast by GIS Workgroup members at the virtual Spring GIS Workgroup Meeting. HSRP researchers will present their nomination during the virtual Spring GIS Workshop (April 11-14, 2022).
Description:
A large-scale release of a biological or radiological (BR) agent can result in contamination of a wide area and would require significant time and resources for recovery. Many unknowns are associated with characterization and clearance sampling during response to a wide-area BR incident. To better understand the impacts sampling designs can have on the resource demand, especially when considering large-scale sampling campaigns, EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP) developed the Trade-Off Tool for Sampling (TOTS). TOTS currently addresses biological contamination sampling and will cover other agents in the future. TOTS allows users to create sampling designs and estimate the associated resource demand through interactive, point-and-click tools to visually develop sampling plans. Users can plot sample locations in conjunction with externally developed indoor or outdoor imagery that can be imported into the tool. Based on the plans designed, TOTS estimates the total time and cost necessary for implementation, which includes sampling kit preparation, conducting the sampling campaign, and lab analysis. The resulting sample plan can be used to consider trade-offs in one’s sampling design (i.e., cost-benefit analysis), alternate sampling approaches (i.e., traditional vs. innovative sampling methods), and sampling coverage.