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Abstract
Using GIS in Environmental Litigation
Track: Environment Management
Author(s): Ken Spitze, Gabriel Sabadell
GIS is becoming increasing important to the legal community as a tool in environmental litigation, where difficult concepts and complex data sets must be communicated. Because the target audience in these litigation cases are often lay people, composed of judges and/or juries without scientific backgrounds, it is important that complex concepts be communicated quickly and clearly without requiring that they have any technical expertise. This paper will discuss the role of GIS in the litigation process, showing how GIS can be of benefit not only to lawyers presenting their cases but also to experts arriving at their opinions. Examples of case histories where GIS was used successfully will be shown, demonstrating the merits of GIS and the techniques used in its presentation. It will also discuss the increasing acceptance of GIS as an independent scientific discipline including the role of the GIS expert witness.
Ken Spitze
Destiny Resources, Inc.
1658 Cole Blvd.
Suite 205
Golden , CO 80401
USA
Phone: 303-232-6515
Fax: 303-232-6618
E-mail: kspitze@destinyresources.com
Gabriel Sabadell
Blasland, Bouck, and Lee
14142 Denver West Blvd.
Suite 350
Golden 80401
USA
Phone: 303-231-9115
Fax: 303-231-9571
E-mail: gps@bbl-inc.com