INTEGRATION OF REAL TIME, CONTINUOUS DATA STREAMS INTO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND NEURAL NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES

The combination of disparate and converging technologies presents exciting opportunities to enhance the use of science for environmental forensics. The evolving nature of the individual capabilities of the following technologies can be integrated into a powerful tool for environmental forensics purposes:

• Computer processing speeds • Global Positioning Systems (GPS) • Aerial and satellite imagery • Chemical and physical parameter sensors • Solar power • Wireless telecommunications • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) • Geographic Information Systems software (RealFlow) • Automated Neural Networks (ANN) • Groundwater modeling software • Database and internet programming (GEMS) • Data visualization and rendering (VAR) software

Field applications of these technologies have been demonstrated at a petroleum/chemical storage facility, a municipal water supply wellfield, and a mine tailings disposal facility. This presentation will present the overall concepts of integrating these technologies with examples of actual field applications. In addition, this presentation will present a vision of the potential ramifications for forensic science of the ongoing advances of these technologies.