A Quick Word

Welcome to the Fall, 2010 issue of our newsletter. We hope you find it interesting and useful. And remember, it’s for you and not for us, so if there’s something you would like to see, please let us know at info@geotech.com and we will try to include it in our next newsletter. Click here for previous newsletters.

Free Tip – Opening Files in Enviro Data

Use the Enviro Data File Dialog to Look at Your Files

Sometimes you might want to look at a file you just created, or some other file, from within Enviro Data. (This tip works with many other applications as well.) In this example we'll look at an XYZ text file, but it works for any file type for which your computer has a compatible application.

First, we selected some data on the Select Data form, then created an XYZ file for Surfer. Then we clicked on Export again, chose the XYZ export, and selected which value to export, as we just did when we created the file. This brought up the Open File Dialog. Normally we would choose a path and file name to save the file. In this case we right clicked on the existing file. This opened a context menu, and one of the options was "Open With". When we selected that it brought up a list of compatible applications on our computer. What you see will vary depending on the type of file you want to open and the applications on your computer. We chose WordPad, and our file was displayed.

In general it's a good idea to look at your data at each step of the process. This tip makes it easy.

Enviro Data News - Update on New Database Features

Enviro Data and Access 2010

Geotech's latest version of Enviro Data, Version 2008 G 1.2, has been modified to overcome some difficulties encountered in Microsoft's latest version of Office, 2010. At this writing this version is now being beta tested, and will be released to everyone soon, if it hasn't been already by the time you read this. There is one thing you need to do to configure Office security properly, as in Access 2007 but easier. If you need to use Enviro Data with Access 2010, contact Geotech.

Enviro Data Feature - Map Drilldown

Starting with Enviro Data version 2008F, there is a feature that lets you "Drilldown" through the internal map display to show additional information about the selected location. To do this, select your data in the usual way, then display the map. Click on a station to select it. This displays a circle around the selected station. Then double-click on the selected station. A new form will appear to the right. The map and the form are shown in the following figure.

The form for viewing station data has two parts. The upper part shows a subset of the data for the selected station. The middle part shows the samples for that station, and the lower part shows analyses for the currently displayed sample. While the dot on the map shows only one result for each location, the drill-down shows quite a bit more data behind that one dot, a very useful feature.

Enviro Data Companion Product - Voxler from Golden Software

For many years Geotech has had a very good relationship with our neighbors up the road, Golden Software. Many of our clients use their Surfer software for two-dimensional (2D)maps. A while back Golden Software introduced Voxler, a 3Dmodeling program. Because many of our clients have 3D data, it makes sense to export this data and display it in Voxler. To do this, in Enviro Data select the data that you wish to display. On the Select Export Format form select "XYZA ASCII Text File" and click on Next. Enter a file name, or click on OK to select one graphically. Enviro Data will make the file.

In Voxler, first you will want to load your data. You can display the points in 3D, and create an outline box. The next step is to grid the data. Voxler doesn't currently have as many gridding algorithms as Surfer, but hopefully more will be added in the future, especially Kriging. Then select how you want your data displayed. Good examples include isoshells, which are like 3D contours, and point clouds. With a little creativity you can add cross sections, aerial photos, and other graphics. You can then pan, zoom, and rotate the display in real time. An example of a display created with data from Enviro Data is shown in the following figure:

For further information about Voxler and other Golden Software products, visit www.goldensoftware.com.

Is our software too easy to use?

We recently had a conversation with one of the labs we work with about the Enviro Data Lab Checker. We spoke about our checker and a competitor’s lab checker. After speaking about common problems with making specific formats, we were told that our single file format was very easy for the labs to make and much simpler to work with than others. We spoke about such things as mandatory fields that have to be filled in for the file to import, and how Enviro Data recognizes what fields are applicable to each specific sample being tested. Importing, one of the most difficult things to handle in the data management process, has been simplified in Enviro Data and can help overcome, or even better, avoid common importing problems. Some labs are forced to buy a checker from one of our competitors due to the complexity of their file, creating more costs and greater tension with the lab. Generally Enviro Data does not require this because our software is easy to work with. We would probably sell more Lab Checkers if we made our software harder to use!

For more information on the latest Enviro Data features, visit Geotech's website by clicking here or call us toll-free at 877-740-1999, or outside the US call 303-740-1999.

Enviro Spase News - Update on New GIS Features

Enviro Spase and ArcGIS 10

Enviro Spase works the same in ESRI's ArcGIS 10 as it did in ArcGIS 9. However, ESRI has moved Visual Basic for Applications from an internal feature to an extension. Since this is what Enviro Spase uses, you will need to install and register this extension. ESRI does not charge for this extension. The VBA extension is installed using the same Setup program that you use to install ArcView. Then you will need to contact ESRI Customer Service at 888-377-4575 to obtain an Authorization Number. You will need to provide your customer number. After that, all VBA and Enviro Spase functionality works the same as before.

For more information on the latest Enviro Spase features, visit Geotech's website by clicking here or call us toll-free at 877-740-1999, or outside the US call 303-740-1999.

Geotech News

Geotech expands services into Emergency Response projects

In August, Geotech received a call from an Emergency Response company project manager, who said that he had read Dr. Dave’s book on Environmental Database Management, and thought of Geotech when he needed to hire consultants for his oil spill monitoring project. Geotech subcontracted out three of its top consultants to help with the database management and mapping pieces of this project. Two of our consultants worked on entering data, writing reports, and creating presentations for the EPA, while the third consultant, a GIS specialist, created maps. The Emergency Response company was thrilled with the level of technical expertise that our consultants provided to them, and was impressed with the professionalism and speed with which Geotech responded to their needs. Geotech looks forward to working with this, and other Emergency Response companies in the future.

Enviro Success Stories

Enviro Software Success Story - Enviro Software Helps Consultants Find Work

At Geotech we have had a number of clients that have been negatively impacted by the economic downturn (who hasn't?). It was nice to hear of one situation where Enviro Data was able to help. We had one long-time Enviro Data user who was laid off by her employer, a major environmental consulting company, because her office didn't have enough work. She worked her contacts in the company, and found out about another office that needed database help. She "hit the ground running", getting their Enviro Data database up to date and taking over their ongoing data loading and reporting. Her Enviro Data skills helped her replace a good part of her income, which is a good thing, since she has five kids who insist on being fed.

In another case, a long-time Enviro user was let go by his small county government employer, taking early retirement. However, the Enviro Data work that he was doing still needed to be done. Our client took a job with a local consulting firm, and they won a contract to use Enviro Data to do the reporting that he was doing as an employee at his former job. So now he's getting paid to do the same work he was doing, while also collecting retirement benefits.

If you have a success story to share, please let us know.

Quarterly Special - FREE Training

Geotech is always trying to help lower costs and make the Enviro software available and affordable to everyone. That is why we are offering one day of training FREE with the purchase of an Enviro Data Concurrent license with maintenance, a savings of $1,200. The training consists of both lecture and hands on training, with individual sections covering software, features, concepts, and general use. The training is usually held at the client’s office, making it easy for folks to attend. If you are interested in Enviro Data and would like to take advantage of these cost savings, now is the time. If you have questions or would like more information on this, please contact Mike Rich at mrich@geotech.com or call us Toll-Free at 877-740-1999.

Smart Moves in Tough Times - Concurrent Viewer

Geotech now offers the Enviro Data Viewer program as a concurrent use license. This enables you to put your data at the fingertips of more project staff with a lower cost. The Concurrent Viewer license can be installed on as many computers as you would like with one person using the license at a time. The Viewer is an inexpensive way to provide functionality without the cost of a full license. As a read only version, it allows the user to view, select and generate graphs and reports, but does not allow data manipulation. This cuts down on errors that could be made manipulating data in the data base. Contact Mike Rich at mrich@geotech.com or call us Toll-Free 877-740-1999 for additional details.

Geotech Humor

Q: Why do chemists call helium, curium and barium the medical elements?
A: Because if you can't helium or curium, you barium!

Science is like sex, it can generate results, but that’s not why we do it.

Software Development Process of our competition:

1. Order T-shirts for the Development team.
2. Announce availability.
3. Write the code.
4. Write the manual.
5. Hire a Product Manager.
6. Spec the software. (Writing the specs after the code helps to ensure that the software meets the specifications.)
7. Ship.
8. Test the software. (The customers are a big help here.)
9. Identify bugs as potential enhancements.
10. Announce the upgrade program.

Geotech Services

Geotech specializes in environmental software, database management services and custom programming. We can assist with data loading, reporting, mapping, and other services, or we can train you to do these tasks. For more information about Geotech products and services, please visit our web site at www.geotech.com.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Geotech Computer Systems, Inc.
12150 E. Briarwood Ave., Ste. 202
Centennial, CO 80112
303-740-1999 (PH)
877-740-1999 (Toll-Free)
303-740-1990 (Fax)
www.geotech.com
info@geotech.com

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