Environmental Decision Support


Quintessa can help improve environmental decisions by:

  • thinking long term;
  • taking a broad perspective;
  • making sense of complex ideas; and
  • presenting the arguments effectively.

Quintessa specialises in the development and application of quantitative and qualitative techniques for integrated environmental assessment and decision making, providing advice to regulators, industry and government agencies.

From data to decisions

Our vertically-integrated approach - illustrated above - can be viewed in terms of a hierarchy of information, building on fundamental data and detailed interpretation, to the development of a comprehensive understanding of the breadth of issues on which decisions depend. Effective communication is required at each level of the information hierarchy, through dialogue with the relevant stakeholders. Examples of these capabilities are shown throughout these web pages. Further information is available from David Hodgkinson.

 

Environmental Options Assessment

There are usually various options available for managing the impact of industrial process on the environment. In making an informed decision between the available choices, it is always valuable to compare the benefits and disadvantages of each in terms of important factors such as technical performance, cost, and health, environmental and social issues. This might be done at the level of plans or programmes, in which case a Strategic Environmental Assessment or Sustainability Assessment would be carried out, or at a project level where an Environmental Impact Assessment would be appropriate. Within the UK the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) assessment method, advocated by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, is widely used in the context of pollution prevention, complemented by Best Practicable Means (BPM) studies to decide upon specific technologies. Whatever the precise technique, the process helps to make clear the main differences between options, highlighting the key factors involved in making the choice of a preferred option.

Quintessa has applied such environmental options assessment approaches to a range of situations.

At a national level, Quintessa has supported the comparison of options for storage and disposal of radioactive wastes, and has developed a manual for use by environmental regulators to evaluate BPEO assessments. Also, Quintessa staff have contributed to the SAFEGROUNDS project to develop best practice guidance for the management of contaminated land on nuclear and defence sites.

At a project level, Quintessa staff have led a number of BPEO studies, for example relating to the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan.

 

Decision Support Modelling

Quintessa provides consultancy and software support for integrated decision support, building on the foundation of relevant data and its interpretation and developing a comprehensive understanding of the breadth of issues on which the decisions depend.

Open and transparent decisions need to be based on evidence. However, in the evaluation of complex situations there are often multiple and sometimes conflicting sources of evidence in addition to uncertainty. To address these issues, Quintessa has developed the TESLA software package. The aim is to assist systems modellers and decision makers to document the logic and justification that underpins their reasoning, to identify and visualise potential sources of bias and their implications, and to provide a well documented audit trail back to the raw data.

Requirements Management

In major projects it is essential to ensure that knowledge gained from research and development, information gathering, options appraisal and design studies is systematically organised and managed. The process of feeding back this understanding, alongside consideration of primary goals, regulatory and other constraints on programme development, in order to refine and optimise the design is referred to as 'Requirements Management'. Requirements Management is an established practice in construction and major civil projects.

We have applied the principles of Requirements Management in capturing the scientific and technical understanding gained during nuclear waste repository development programmes, using the knowledge to help optimise the repository design and function. This is frequently a key area of regulatory scrutiny, and is generally acknowledged as one of the most important aspects of confidence building in radioactive waste disposal. Our in-depth knowledge of, and participation in, scientific and technical investigation and assessment studies, together with our expertise in strategic decision support and information technology capabilities, have enabled us to offer integrated and focused systems to clients such as the LLWR near Drigg and Ontario Power Generation.


For more information about the environmental options appraisal services offered by Quintessa, please contact Mike Egan.