Esri's ArcView brings powerful spatial data visualization and query tools to the desktops of environmental engineers and project managers. Merely supplying them with additional software tools, however, is not enough to ensure the successful implementation of ArcView. It is critical to evaluate the Users' needs and provide applications specifically suited to them. This evaluation must consider not only the capabilities of the application, but, more importantly, the manner in which the capabilities are provided via the User Interface. This paper will trace the implementation of ArcView at the Presidio of San Francisco to support base closure activities initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Specifically, this paper will detail the development of an application used for the analysis of Quarterly Groundwater Monitoring data. The creation of this application required a lengthy process of evaluating Users' needs and expectations, application design, prototyping and testing. User feedback during this process shifted the focus away from the application itself and towards the User Interface. Early attempts to implement ArcView were unsatisfactory because the User was overwhelmed by the numerous buttons, tools and menus presented to them. Extensive customization of the ArcView "out of the box" User Interface had to be done in order for the User to feel comfortable and in control. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the results of this design philosophy change and further application development.
The establishment of a formal military base at Point Mugu California was authorized by Congress early in 1946 and signed by President Truman on May 24, 1946. Today the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station serves as an important Department of Defense asset as the Pacific Seatest and Missile Range. In addition to the primary DOD mission of the base, Point Mugu has developed an active environmental program to preserve and protect, whenever feasible, important natural and cultural resources. To meet these important missions Point Mugu NAWS has decided to develop a GIS to facilitate land use and environmental planning functions. As a result, ArcInfo has been selected as the preeminent GIS tool for presenting complex environmental data and issues at the Point Mugu facility. The use of GISs are also critically important to the CLEAN contract program administered by the Department of the Navy. The CLEAN program has been authorized by DOD to facilitate in the environmental evaluation, remediation, and possible restoration of hazardous waste sites on DOD facilities. GIS and concomitant database development and design activities are critically important in the decision management process. Currently, a large body of CLEAN environmental data are being incorporated into a holistic GIS that combines CLEAN data with other GIS thematic datasets from natural and cultural resource divisions and contractors. The overall goals of the GIS effort are (1) to reduce GIS development cost, (2) to accelerate the environment support decision management process, (3) and to facilitate planning efforts between various Pt. Mugu divisions and Navy contractors.
Fort Devens was placed on the National Priorities List under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act on December 21, 1989. Fort Devens was selected for closure under Public Law 101-510, the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990. In accordance with these acts and to support the overall mission of environmental restoration and base closure, 324 study areas (SA) and areas requiring environmental evaluation (AREE) were identified. The BRAC Environmental Office is tasked with the mission of environmental evaluation and (where needed) restoration of SAs and AREEs on Fort Devens to speed the process of transition and reuse. Regulatory agencies (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection) have established GIS. Army implementation of GIS (ArcInfo 7.0.3 and ArcView 2.1 on a Sun SPARC 20 under Solaris 2.4) started in 1994 and built on data sets based on USAECs IRDMIS system, contractor .dxfs, geospatial data sets of the MADEP, EPA, and Mass GIS. Sample GIS uses include, query and analysis of the 324 SA and AREE sites on the basis of over 65 fields (including USTs, contaminant, documents, and cost) re-use planning, Army Reserve Enclave building use, siting issues, and re-use parcelization using COGO. The goal of the BRAC Environmental GIS is to give the BRAC Environmental Coordinator and the Base Commander a real-time, tactical display of the current environmental status of the clean-up and re-use of Fort Devens. Data collected on this system forms the basis for planning and management after transfer.