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A GIS Web-tool for Developing Biological Sampling Designs
Citation:
Boe, T., M. Blaser, W. Calfee, S. Lee, L. Mickelsen, M. Rodgers, C. Schwind, AND C. Hayes. A GIS Web-tool for Developing Biological Sampling Designs. Esri User Conference, Research Triangle Park, NC, July 12 - 15, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
A large-scale release of a biological agent can result in contamination of a wide-area and would require significant time and resources for recovery. Although the sampling techniques are well-developed, many unknowns are associated with the implementation of characterization and clearance sampling during response to a wide-area biological incident (including indoor, outdoor, and underground areas).The agent and its characteristics, the release mechanism, amount of contaminant released, and a plethora of environmental and meteorological factors are separate, yet interconnected processes that greatly influence the extent and level of contamination. Similarly, decisions related to the sampling strategy (i.e., sampling media, sampling area, spacing, etc.) will affect the cost, time, amount of waste generated, and personnel (i.e., resource demand) required to characterize and clear the contaminated area. A systems approach can be used to understand how these elements influence one another and contribute to effectively solving the problem. However, to what degree sampling and cleanup, more specifically, variations in these strategies interact and contribute to overall resource demand, following a wide area biological incident, is still largely unknown.
Description:
To better understand the impacts sampling designs can have on 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 is a GIS-based online tool for developing sampling designs and estimating the associated resource demand. TOTS consists of a point-and-click interface for importing externally-developed sampling plans or for developing plans by plotting sample locations using aerial imagery or computer aided design (CAD) drawings as a reference. From a developed sampling plan, the tool estimates the total time and cost necessary for implementation, which includes sampling kit preparation, sampling campaign, and lab analysis. The results can then 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. TOTS is based on EPA’s Geoplatform and was built using the React JavaScript framework and the Esri ArcGIS JavaScript API for the front end user interface. TOTS uses the Esri ArcGIS REST API for interfacing with a user’s ArcGIS Online account to publish tool output. The output (i.e., sampling designs) can be directly imported into Esri's Collector and Survey123 applications for use in acquiring sampling data in the field. Several features also rely on a Geoprocessing Service (GP Service) created to support importing files and executing calculations. This presentation will provide an overview of TOTS and a case study featuring its use in response to a hypothetical biological incident.