Methods to establish GIS for planning cost-effective geotechnical site investigations

Planning a geotechnical site investigation can be a daunting task especially if the scope of works is substantial. Desk studies of available information and geotechnical risk assessments of proposed designs are challenging because the data must be accessed on different media and formats. This requires constant cross-reference to a multitude of applications and meticulous inferences between them. A significant quantum of ground information contained in large volumes of historical reports are difficult to retrieve and manage, leading to a loss of efficiency and coherence. Reliability of the information for use in scoping and design must be carefully assessed. Developing the scope of works requires site inspections to ascertain the feasibility of test points and to confirm accessibility. Explaining the proposed scope to the client for approval is the most critical task in the process and the current practice does not focus on improving the client’s appreciation for geotechnical risks and their buy-in to the proposed scope. This paper presents novel methods to improve the process of planning site investigations. It is based on the successful use of novel methods, powered by GIS, to plan a geotechnical site investigation for a major highway upgrade project in Queensland, Australia.