SMARTe – A web-based decision analysis and support tool for revitalisation
Cleaning up and redeveloping sites contaminated with environmentally toxic or hazardous materials is a complex process, involving many stakeholders. SMARTe is an open-source, web-based system that supports stakeholders in revitalising sites. The SMARTe website contains guidance and analysis tools for all stages of the revitalisation process, including site documentation, writing a project plan and securing funding. SMARTe also helps to integrate environmental, economic and social concerns in revitalisation projects. This interactive and user-friendly website offers a wealth of information for everyone involved in land re-use planning and revitalisation efforts.
Description
SMARTe refers to Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalisation Tools – electronic. It is a web-based analysis and decision support system for developing and evaluating future re-use scenarios for contaminated land. SMARTe has been developed in the framework of a United States and German bilateral working group on redevelopment of contaminated sites.
The SMARTe website includes tools, technologies, and approaches for:
- identification of land use, revitalisation and risk management options
- environmental modelling
- human health and ecological risk assessment
- economic analysis, which includes market costs and benefits associated with revitalisation
- financing, including public and private sector options for grants and loans
- social analysis
- ecological analysis
SMARTe also contains case studies from the United States and Germany in which the SMARTe tools have been used.
SMARTe is still under development and will be fully functional by the end of 2007. The website will then contain the complete decision analysis capability, which allows users to evaluate and compare different re-use options for a specific site. Users of the website are invited to test and provide feedback on SMARTe.
Background information
The SMARTe project has been set up in the framework of the United States and German Bilateral Working Group on redevelopment of contaminated sites. By using model projects to demonstrate exemplary approaches to site redevelopment, the working group aims to evaluate new approaches and technologies. The lessons learned are then transferred throughout the United States and Germany. Main partners of the working group are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The bilateral working group has identified the following obstacles to revitalisation:
- incomplete evaluation of costs and benefits (typically only market costs and benefits of potential redevelopment / revitalisation options are evaluated and non-market costs and benefits are excluded)
- difficulty identifying private and public financing options
- difficulty locating state-specific information and requirements
- difficulty identifying and evaluating characterisation, remediation, and long-term monitoring technologies for contaminated sites
- inability to communicate with other stakeholders
SMARTe has been developed to overcome these obstacles.
Contact info
Ann Vega (Task order manager and programme manager), tel. +1 513 5697635
Publication date
Researcher
US Environmental Protection Agency - German Federal Ministry of Education and Research - US Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council