Low Flow Sampling

SDM has been loving the weather lately and it has made the tediousness of low flow sampling tolerable. Low flow sampling is all about equipment and setup. We particularly like the use of peristaltic or bladder pump systems with a flow through cell to accurately determine when we are purging formation water (as much as you can be accurate in this determination). With enough practice we are able to collect excellent data following the EPA low flow procedure extremely quickly. For help on your next project that requires accurate groundwater sample collection where speed of project completion is of importance give us a call. Visit our website for more information on our services.

Field Work!

We are deep into field season now and its really starting to feel like summer out there. SDM has been out sampling groundwater monitoring wells and wading through streams and it really feels good to take a break from the constant GIS work to get outside for a bit. That being said, the GIS work stacks up while away from the desk and when it his 97 degrees like last week its nice to have the option of A/C! We are looking forward to a great field season in 2012 and are happy to help with any sampling projects you might have, visit our website for more info www.sdmgis.com

GIS Tutorial

Matt just completed building the townwide GIS database for the Boylston Water District bringing the management of their assets into the 21st century. The work included an full day on-site GIS tutorial for Boylston Water District staff so
they could learn how to use and update their new system. It was a great day and the guys at BWD are excited to start using the new tools now at their disposal. The full day tutorial included map creation, shapefile editing and creation, Arc Catelog use, and even some manipulation of the underlying access databases to quickly and easily update BWD asset maintenance. Matt finished off the day by providing a printed tutorial of everything taught during the day. Overall it was a great project that will really help the District for years to come.

Data Loggers!

We have already done some pump test monitoring for long term pump tests using data loggers this spring and are looking forward to helping out our clients this summer. With that in mind we updated our website! Click here to check out our new data logger services tab and download our data logger cutsheet if you are interested in our aquifer analysis and monitoring services. SDM Data Logger Page

Matt set to present at the upcoming Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference

Matt has once again  partnered with Jeff Collins of Mass Audubon and Vin Antil of The Trustees of Reservations to teach a low cost GIS workshop at the upcoming MLTC Conference on March 24th.  This will be the second class under the same name that Spatial Data Management has presented at the annual conservation conference and Matt is really looking forward to it. The course description is as follows:

GIS has proven to be a useful tool for land conservation
and land management. However, limited funding and staff
resources can often limit the ability of small land trusts
to make use of this technology. In this presentation we
will look at several options for free and discounted
mapping software. In particular, we will look at three
free mapping packages: ArcExplorer, Quantum GIS and
MapWindow.  We will compare the capabilities and ease
of use among these products. We will look at how well
each performs basic GIS tasks such as importing data
collected with GPS, creating and editing geographic
datasets, and map production. We will also look at
downloading and making use of free data from
MassGIS, and discuss nonprofit software deals available
through ESRI and MassGIS. It is hoped that through this
presentation and following questions, participants will
get a better sense of what the options are and which
may be best for them.  

If you are interested in land conservation in the New England area consider joining us for this great day.

Public Water Supply Pump Test Monitoring

With this weather we have been having the field season is already well under way. SDM spent a few days in the field supporting FG Sullivan Drilling Company during the capacity testing of a new public water supply in Massachusetts. We installed data loggers in monitoring wells throughout the site to collect real-time water level data during the 48 hour pump test required by permitting authorities. Upon test completion and full water table recovery we will use all this data to evaluate the public water supply’s capacity as well as the aquifer properties in which the wells are located to help with state permitting. Here is a glimpse at the field work:

Potable water asset management with GIS

We are excited to start working on an important GIS project for the Boylston Water District in Boylston Massachusetts. SDM has been hired to set up and initialize a GIS mapping and data management system as well as prepare and perform on-site training related to the new GIS environment. The main goal of this state-of-the-art GIS system is to maintain the water system's assets in an in-house database with the ability to edit and update the data as needed, and to be able to access the data remotely for water system personnel in the field performing important maintenance and asset tracking. In addition, the system will have the ability to upload developer’s AutoCad site plans quickly and accurately and to link photographs within the mapping environment.

Once completed, this system will contain all water sources, storage facilities, water mains, hydrants, gates, curb stops, and all other assets associated with the delivery of potable water to the residents of Boylston. SDM is excited to get started on this very important project for the District. We believe SDM was a great choice for a relatively small municipal entity such as the Boylston Water District because of our expertise, attention to clients’ needs, and competitive rates.