October 18, 2022

Xin Peng and Robert Bachus to Present on Geotechnical Data Management at Southeastern Transportation Geotechnical Engineering Conference

Xin Peng, Ph.D., P.E., and Robert Bachus, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, (Georgia) will present on geotechnical data management at the 51st Annual Southeastern Transportation Geotechnical Engineering Conference (STGEC) at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 17–20, 2022.

Xin will present "Automated Assessment of Statistic Features to Facilitate Geotechnical Site Characterization and Design in Large Transportation Projects in Louisiana" at 1:30 p.m. EDT on October 18, 2022. Xin's co-presenter is Jesse Rauser of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Xin and Robert will present "Evolving Project Delivery with Advanced Geotechnical Data Management Practice with DIGGS Implementation" at 2:00 p.m. EDT on October 19, 2022.

Xin and Robert will also lead the Geosyntec webinar, "How Digital Transportation Will Advance Geotechnical Engineering in Your Data Management Practice...with and without gINT," at 12:00 a.m. EDT on October 26, 2022.

Xin Peng is a Geotechnical Engineer based in Georgia who focuses on data management, visualization, and analytics. He develops tailored digital solutions that help practitioners manage, visualize, and interpret large data sets as they characterize sites and perform engineering designs. Xin has worked to develop web-based platforms that incorporate many types of geotechnical and geoenvironmental data, including lab testing data from soil borings, cone penetration testing data, LiDAR data, geophysical data, deep foundation field load testing data, and instrumentation data.

Robert Bachus is a Senior Principal engineer based in Georgia with more than 30 years of professional experience focused on geotechnical engineering, geoenvironmental engineering, waste by-product characterization, and permitting and design of waste containment facilities. Bob is nationally recognized for his expertise in geotechnical site characterization, in situ and laboratory testing, settlement and slope stability analysis, and performance monitoring of geotechnical and earthen structure systems.

STGEC explores the challenges and recent advances in geotechnical, geological, geophysical, and geoenvironmental engineering, bringing together designers, practitioners and research professionals involved in current geotechnical problems and technologies.

Presentation Information

Title: Automated Assessment of Statistic Features to Facilitate Geotechnical Site Characterization and Design in Large Transportation Projects in Louisiana
Date and Time: October 18, 2022, at 1:30–2:00 p.m., EDT
Presenters: Xin Peng, Geosyntec Consultants; and Jesse Rauser, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

Spatial variability of subsurface conditions and uncertainty regarding geotechnical methods and models used for geotechnical site characterization are critical factors that impact financial and safety risks in typical transportation infrastructure construction projects. As advanced data-rich exploration techniques are developed for geotechnical site characterization and as advanced design and analysis methodologies are implemented, there are opportunities for the profession to advance. A web-based platform will be introduced to provide innovative techniques to automate and optimize the process of interpreting and characterizing geotechnical site condition. Specifically, the platform allows engineers to interactively visualize, efficiently evaluate and rapidly interpret statistical measures of the geotechnical data to facilitate developing appropriate soil design models. This web-based platform can incorporate multiple types of geotechnical and geoenvironmental data for data visualization and interpretation. Typical data types that can be captured and utilized on the platform include lab testing data from soil borings, cone penetration testing (CPT), field vane shear test (VST) data, Lidar data, geophysical testing data, instrumentation data, and deep foundation field load testing data. This platform also incorporates and automates geotechnical site characterization methods based on data statistics, as well as certain deep foundation design methods recommended by Federal Highway Administration's existing design guidelines. The web-based platform was developed for and implemented by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) for several large-scale highway and bridge design and construction projects. The presentation will introduce the web-based platform and prototype projects will be described, focusing on the ability to facilitate evaluating the site variability and quantifying the uncertainty of site conditions.

Title: Evolving Project Delivery with Advanced Geotechnical Data Management Practice with DIGGS Implementation
Date and Time: October 19, 2022, at 2:00–2:30 p.m., EDT
Presenters : Xin Peng and Robert Bachus, Geosyntec Consultants

Geotechnical engineering practice involves proper selection of engineering parameters and design methods, coupled with a heavy dose of engineering judgment. How engineers and consultants identify the most appropriate design parameters and design methodologies often starts with the interpretation of data collected during initial geotechnical site characterization. As advanced data-rich techniques and methodologies are developed for geotechnical site characterization, the subsequent design and analysis activities and corresponding project delivery are expected to evolve. However, this goal can only be achieved by improving current practice and incorporating efficient geotechnical data management strategies. This technical presentation will focus on innovative practices to improve geotechnical data management, highlighting the use of a digital toolkit package and service to facilitate visualizing and interpreting geotechnical data that will eventually facilitate project delivery. Data Interchange for Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (DIGGS), has been implemented into this data management practice for standardized geotechnical data exchange. The benefits of implementing DIGGS in geotechnical data management, visualization and geotechnical design process has been "preached" for years, but specific implementation strategies have been lacking…. until now. DIGGS is an open-source, extensible, and standardized digital format to facilitate geotechnical data management and Interoperability. The implementation of DIGGS can also efficiently increase the quality of geotechnical data deliverables as a digital asset. Techniques are now available to facilitate generation of DIGGS files and validation against its schema and schematron. Once this transition to efficient geotechnical data managements is complete, geotechnical data owners and engineers can manage, visualize, and interpret geotechnical and geoenvironmental data in an efficient and reliable manner. The presentation will demonstrate how geotechnical engineers and consultants can develop reliable soil design models that accurately reflect subsurface stratigraphy and characterization with efficient geotechnical data management practice. Existing geotechnical design practices and workflows can also be effectively and efficiently optimized and automated using a web-based platform. Several case histories will be introduced to demonstrate how to efficiently visualize and interpret "dense" geotechnical data sets that include cone penetration testing (CPT) data and soil boring data. Ultimately, the goal of efficient geotechnical data management practice is to help project managers and engineers efficiently manage and visualize data while optimizing project tasks that are tedious and time-consuming. As a result, engineers and scientists will be able to spend more time on developing, evaluating, and formulating reliable engineering solutions to complex problems. Eventually, the overall long-term project costs will be reduced, and project delivery will be improved once the presented techniques are implemented.

Upcoming Webinar

Title: How Digital Transportation Will Advance Geotechnical Engineering in Your Data Management Practice... with and without gINT
Date and Time: October 26, 2022, at 12:00 p.m., EDT
Presenters : Xin Peng and Robert Bachus, Geosyntec Consultants

Few people will argue that we now live in a world of data...some would say a world of Big Data. What many geotechnical engineers realize is that the use of these data can lead to a Digital Transformation (DX) in our practice, a transformation that is evolving the practice of geotechnical engineering to exciting levels. This free webinar will introduce applications that demonstrate the implementation of DX into individual and organizational practice to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and facilitate geotechnical engineering decisions.

For the past 30+ years, many organizations have used gINT and other data management software to facilitate the collection, management, and publication of geotechnical data, generally in the form of boring logs, cone penetration test (CPT) sounding records, and geotechnical laboratory test results. Many organizations do not fully realize that DX can leverage the power of data which they have been managing using gINT and other tools to significantly improve design efficiency and quality while reducing design costs and uncertainties. To address this, the webinar will also demonstrate how current and future workflows and solutions using gINT or any other data management software and practices can be efficiently implemented to facilitate the seamless transition to DX, possibly without a significant change of currently existing practices. Finally, the webinar will demonstrate applications that can generate and implement Data Interchange for Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (DIGGS) files to hasten the evolution to DX.