DATA, INFORMATION AND MANAGEMENT IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Jackie Bland, Geotechnics Ltd/Furgo Steve Walthall, Bechtel

AGS Data Management Committee 2015

SOME BASIC CONCEPTS

SYSTEMS THEORY

D. I. K. U. W.

According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories:

Data: symbols Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who",

"what", "where", and "when" questions

Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions

Understanding: appreciation of "why"

Wisdom: evaluated understanding.

Ackoff indicates that the first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates vision and design. With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp the present and past. But achieving wisdom isn't easy; people must move successively through the other categories.

• Data: SPT N value, Moisture content, depth to water

• Information: Borehole Log, PSD graph• Knowledge: GI report• Understanding: Design Report• Wisdom: Design

Application of Ackoff’s model to geotechnical engineering

Data, the collection, coordination, transfer use and management

Information, the conversion of data to information

Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom, the publication and use of reports and designs

DATA AND ITS USE

DATA, SOME BASICSData is both singular and plural

BS 8574 2.5 Geotechnical DataFacts or figures obtained from all phases of a geotechnical project, including derivations from other data , (Facts and figures might include text, numbers and formulae).

BS 8574 2.6 logical data data connected by location and/or time and not the representation or the evaluation of that data

Meta Data Additional information which describes the data, such as the borehole number and depth for an SPT N value.

THE DATA JOURNEY (1990’S)

THE DATA JOURNEY (2014)

(Chandler 2014)

(After Romain Arnould 2014)

Data storage

Data ImportData Entry

validationvalidation

validation

Data AnalysisInformation Production

Data Visualisation(Information)

Data Export

AGS AGS AGS

AGS

AGS

AGS

THE AGS DATA TRANSFER FORMAT

Why not use spreadsheets?

They are not data bases

They are INFORMATION not DATA

They are difficult to interrogate

They contain format information which is not transferable

They are not software independent

They often contain errors which are not easily found,i.e. they are difficult to validate and verify

BS8574 A.2.4 NOTE Use of spreadsheet files for data transfer is discouraged because they contain formatting information as well as data. Interoperability problems between spreadsheet software might be experienced

THE AGS DATA TRANSFER FORMAT

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2020

AGS03/92

AGS07/94

AGS3

AGS3.1

AGS4

AGS5?

AGS DATA TRANSFER TIMELINE

TimeBerlin

wall falls

Atlantis Space Shuttle docks with Mir space station

for first time

MillenniumBug? Facebook

launched

Matt Smith becomes

11th Dr WhoEGGS

Conference

2015

Government mandates

BIM

DoBIM

Level 2now

AGS4.1 Beta

DATA MANAGEMENT

DATA MANAGEMENTA new British Standard has been created by the AGS Data Management committee to formalise your data management -

BS8574:2014 Code of practice for the management of geotechnical data for ground engineering projects

WHAT IS BS8574?

Gives recommendations on the management of geotechnical data throughout the life-cycle of civil engineering and building projects at both an organizational and project level.

Defines data as a concept and provides recommendations on the collection, verification, manipulation, distribution, presentation and storage of data.

WHY USE BS 8574?For each PROJECT• Collections of data from different sources and formats• Number of organisations processing and transferring data• Data Management and delivery needs defining and

maintaining throughout as documented in the specification

Improves communication between the parties involved

Standard has been designed for use in a BIM project in accordance with PAS 1192

DATA MANAGEMENT

To summarise Data Management is a combination of:-

BS8574, which determines what is to be done

and AGS Data, which is a tool for doing it

INFORMATION

INFORMATION

The use of information in the development of a project

Availability and transfer of information during the life cycle of the project

Access to and archiving of information.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Typical Information contained in the GIR ----- Parameters

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Typical Information contained in the GIR ----- Sections

INFORMATION

A project with the working title AGSi is developing the AGS4 “Groups” and “Headings” necessary to transfer the information contained in the GIR as data.

It will do this using the concept of “Layers”

These layers may be StratigraphicLithologicalWeatheringEngineeringEnvironmentalWater Or any combination

AGS4.1 BETAThe document will be issued as “AGS4.1 Beta (Draft for public consultation)”

It will contain the additional groups needed to transfer the data behind the information contained in the GIR (Geotechnical Investigation Report)

The Parameters are derived values (not characteristic values which are in the Design Reports)

The geometry of the layers will be transferred by one of three methods:

1. The use of a simple x,y,z file2. The use of a project specific file format as defined in the BS8574 project plan,

using the existing AGS external file mechanism defined in the FILE group (FILE_FSET)

3. The use of cross sections using the structure established by British Geological Survey (BGS)

The new Groups LAYA Layer definitions

PARA Layer parameters

LAYX Layer geometry (x,y,z co-ordinates)LAYB Layer boundariesLABX Layer boundary co-ordinates (x,y co-ordinates)

CSLG Cross-section linesCSLA Cross-section line alignments (x,y coordinates)CSLW Cross-section line layer geometry (w,z data)

additional groups to transfer ground surface topology GRNG Ground surfacesGRNX Ground surface topography (x,y,z co-

ordinates)

AGS4.1 BETA

AGS4.1 BETAThe transfer file format will have the following options:

Comma Separated Value file format (CSV) as per AGS format files to dateand, for the first time, an XML version

The use of cross sections has also neatly provided a solution to the conundrum which has existed since AGS as first started:

Trial Pit sketches

AGS4.1 BETADemo of cross sections - a joint project between AGS and BGS

KNOWLEDGE

UNDERSTANDING

WISDOM

KNOWLEDGE GI report

UNDERSTANDING Design Report

WISDOM Design

These are for the future as the transfer file format develops

Perhaps the committee should be renamed

THE AGS WISDOM COMMITTEE

but that may be a step too far

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS FOR DATA TRANSFER

AGS4.1 BETA

Implications for the industry to be addressed

Data management in accordance with BS8574

Information Management for the next phase(s) of BIM

Ownership of the Data