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Revolutionary New River and Stream Assessment Tool Opens the Door for Eco-friendly Restoration
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March 22, 2005
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Imagine what a difference GPS technology would have made to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Or even a digital camera.
Today's river explorers have these tools and more thanks to breakthrough technology from THI RiverWorks, Inc. (THIR). The Rapid River Assessment System (RRAS ) combines digital imagery, GPS technology, a rugged handheld field computer and patent-pending software to enable the user to rapidly collect, analyze and report river and stream data for reconnaissance, inventory, assessment and monitoring.
"RRAS revolutionizes the way we assess and monitor the nation's waterways," said Mike Sprague, CEO, THIR, Livingston, Mont. "It's the first practical, cost-effective assessment system based on scientifically valid, standardized and repeateable methodologies."
There has been no shortage of river and stream data - people were assessing water ways long before the Lewis and Clark Expedition - but until RRAS most of the data has been collected in a vacuum. With its patent-pending protocol that incorporates nearly 60 morphological, biological and physiocochemical parameters, RRAS ensures the integrity, reliability and availability of the collected data. Results are repeatable and aligned with accepted industry practices.
RRAS grew out of THIR's identified need for a repeatable, efficient way to generaly scientifically-sound, defensible data appropriate to the stream restoration industry. Using RRAS, government agencies and others responsible for the health of the nation's fresh ecosystems can now assess, inventory and monitor these important resources in less time and at a lower cost.
"RRAS will continue to evolve along with the industry, as it develops a more standardized way of collecting and sharing stream data," said Sprague.
Key to the development of RRAS were collaborative research and development agreements between THIR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), a partnership initiated by MSU TechLink Center, a Bozeman-based technology transfer organization. Dan Swanson of TechLink notes, "We knew that the Corp's field offices needed better and more timely data on changes to aquatic systems - particularly from projects involving alternative approaches - and immediately recognized the outstanding potential of THIR's technology for use in evaluating inventory and restoration projects by the Corps of Engineers." The joint research included a two-year demonstration at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydrology Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss., of the design, installation and monitoring of bank stabilization technology using natural materials, as well as beta testing of the RRAS system.
RRAS is designed to be used on all types of rivers and streams. Its intuitive interface "walks" the field technician through the assessment protocol with prompts and automatic calculations, while companion desktop software transfers data and automates much of the analysis and reporting. As a result, not only are fewer field technicians required for data collection, post-processing time and resources are dramatically decreased.
"Oftentimes with traditional assessment systems, data is collected but not assimilated into reports or archives because of the time and resources needed on the back end. Our tool reduces post-processing time from weeks or days to literally minutes, and enables stored assessment data to be easily accessed as needed," concluded Sprague.
About THI RiverWorks, Inc.
THI RiverWorks is a private company devoted to developing revolutionary database systems, proprietary decision support tools, innovative software and uniquely efficient field tools to facilitate the widespread use of sustainable river restoration technologies. Located in Livingston, Mont., RiverWorks is the technology sister company to Trout Headwaters, Inc., an industry leader in restoration technologies using vegetation and other natural materials to stabilize stream banks and restore healthy riparian areas. For more information, visit www.riverworks.net.
Contacts:
Dan Swanson
TechLink
(406) 994-7736
dss@montana.edu
Mike Sprague, CEO
THI RiverWorks, Inc.
(406) 222-6466
mike@troutheadwaters.com
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