Litigation Support Tools: Timeline and GIS Mapping
Helping to tell the story and support the litigation process
Over more than 15 years, First Environment has developed an extensive library regarding historical industrial practices, past regulatory requirements, and chemical usage. This information often has to be matched up to facility-specific information. For example, historic information regarding the standard practices for handling of solvents, the operation of vapor degreasers, and the regulatory framework often must be compared with the site-specific history such as the solvents used at the site and the location of degreasing operations and solvent storage.
In response to the recognized need for tools to present this information, we have developed an interactive chronological software application for assembling and presenting timelines which can be combined with GIS applications to support case strategies.
The library information can be linked to historic site-specific information and graphically displayed using the timeline computer application. The database and software application is designed to show, detail, graph, compare, print and allow the study of information from a chronological and categorical viewpoint.
Users can begin accessing information from two interfaces. The “Timeline” and “Index” screens offer macro views of time-based, database driven information.
Using the built-in interactive mouse controls, users can delve further into specific issues via a third “Media” interface. This “Media” screen offers complete summaries, titles, authors, addressee, dates, and document numbers. From this screen, the user can display electronic images of the referenced documents. This software allows the simultaneous viewing of up to four historical timelines illustrating changes in site operations, regulatory developments, standard industrial practices, and technological advances. The timeline allows the user to view operations at the site within the larger societal and technological context of the times.
