Data Types and Analysis Capabilities Planned For DMSMART

Technical Note DOER-N2

April 1998

necessary. Potential databases with which DMSMART might interact include the Dredging

Information System (DIS), the contaminated sediments database, and the regulatory database

RAMS (Regulatory Analysis and Management System).

Data Types and Analysis Capabilities Planned For DMSMART

For the dredging site, data types included in DMSMART will be bathymetry, project locations,

channel dimensions, sediment grain size data, and project history data such as past contractors and

equipment used. If possible, the DIS database will be accessed for project history data. Probably

the major effort for dredging sites will be to include the vast amount of sediment chemistry and

biological testing data routinely collected. Disposal site data included in DMSMART will be similar

to those in DAN-NY listed in Table 1. One of the principal efforts over the next few months will

be to finalize the data types and analysis capabilities. Any District staff members that desire a more

complete list of data types or analysis capabilities are urged to contact the author directly. A future

technical note will provide more details on the data types and capabilities selected for inclusion in

DMSMART.

Database Development

Of equal importance to software development is creation of each District's database of dredging

project history and the dredging and disposal site monitoring data. Without the data, DMSMART

is useless. Districts must populate their own databases using the guidance developed by the work

unit. Therefore, one of the early products of the contract to develop DMSMART will be guidance

documents on how to create the database, along with cost estimates for creating the database. Based

on the number of sites, time, and funds available, each District will be able to decide how much

data will go into the database initially, and make plans to have additional historical data entered at

a later date. Obviously, data recently collected in electronic format will very likely cost less and

require less time to put into the database. Depending on the District's needs and staff, database

creation can be done in-house, under contract, or with a combination of the two. One method would

be to contract out an initial block of data required for database entry of ongoing projects, then create

future databases in-house as funds permit. It is important to assure that data have been QA/QC'd

and meet METADATA standards.

Maintaining an up-to-date database will be a continuing activity after DMSMART is on-line. As

with the database creation, this could be done in-house or by contractor.

Compatibility with Silent Inspector Data

During the DRP, theory, procedures, and standards were developed for a Silent Inspector (SI) to

monitor hopper dredging operations (Cox, Maresca, and Jarvela 1995). The SI facilitates contract

monitoring. It consists of a set of standards for collecting information on the dredge, processing

this information to obtain dredge state and load, storing the information, and providing the data via

reports. Some of this reported information may be transferred in real-time via a cell phone or radio

link to the District. The full data set is then downloaded periodically. Under the DOER Program,

the SI for hopper dredges will be taken from the prototype system developed under the DRP to a