A total of 32 contaminated land specialists attended the special KeyCSM Launch Day at Nottingham University on 4th November. The session was opened by Professor Paul Nathanail who gave an illuminating introduction to the origins and purpose of KeyCSM. After this delegates had several hours of hands-on tuition during which a fictitious but realistic Conceptual Site Model was created from scratch. Did we think it was risky allowing 32 new users loose on an application that was barely out of development? “Well, no not really”, says Graham Ward, KeyCSM’s Project Manager.
“The product has been in use on live projects since July and we are very confident in its stability - all the serious issues were resolved during the six week beta programme.” said Graham.
A bold claim indeed, but it was certainly borne out on the day. Delegates managed to import site plans, create cross sections, define source areas, contaminants, receptors and pathways, and then set up the linkages between them. There was also plenty of time to experiment with drawing techniques, to show critical features in a variety of ways, and to refine and redefine linkages as more information accrued. The highpoint of the day came towards the end of the session, when delegates were delighted how quickly they could make changes, produce and update Matrix and Network diagrams at the touch of a button, and quickly export details and drawings into other applications such as MS Word for inclusion in reports.
Feedback from the delegates after the course was very positive.
“I was impressed by the software's user interface, linkage manager and its ability to store complex information and display it in a variety of simple formats. I can see KeyCSM saving a lot of time and work when modifying CSMs within phased site investigations.” said Siôn Haswell, a delegate from Argyll Environmental Limited.
The principal instructor during the course was Judith Nathanail of Land Quality Management, herself a highly experienced practitioner of contaminated land investigation and a foremost advocate of the CSM.
“The CSM is a living document” says Judith “and is to be continually updated and revised as new information is gathered. It can then be used for its original purpose – not as a one-off picture or table, but as the main driver of the risk assessment”.
Paul Nathanail too made this point in his introduction: that too many organisations consider the CSM as just another box to tick, and simply open a door to a darkened room where sits a CAD Technician who is asked to produce a fancy drawing. This, insists Paul, is missing the point:
“The CSM qualifies the specialist’s understanding of the site and clearly communicates the issues to the clients, be they developers, engineers, estate agents or lawyers. Without a working CSM the practitioner has no evidence that a pollutant linkage exists, or doesn’t, or that a particular remediation strategy will break it.”
Unique and innovative, KeyCSM is the ideal method for creating the CSM to a consistent standard, backed by powerful drawing tools and a highly intuitive user interface. Keenly priced and easy to install it is perfectly positioned to meet today’s demands for cost effectiveness and improved efficiency in environmental site investigation.
KeyCSM is now available for purchase, and may be downloaded for a free 14-day evaluation.
