Livingston company’s tool opens door to ecofriendly river restoration – THI Riverworks, Inc.

Imagine what a difference GPS technology would have made to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Or even a digital camera.

Today’s river explorers have these tools and more thanks to breakthrough technology from THI RiverWorks, Inc. http://www.riverworks.net (THIR) of Livingston, Mont. The Rapid River Assessment System™ (RRAS™) combines digital imagery, GPS technology, a rugged handheld field computer and patent-pending software to enable the user to rapidly collect, analyze and report river and stream data for reconnaissance, inventory, assessment and monitoring.

by Chandra Morris

The RRAS technology was advanced by partnerships that the Montana State University TechLink Center facilitated between THIR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

"RRAS revolutionizes the way we assess and monitor the nation’s waterways," said Mike Sprague, CEO, THIR. "It’s the first practical, cost-effective assessment system based on scientifically valid, standardized and repeatable methodologies."

There has been no shortage of river and stream data–people were assessing water ways long before the Lewis and Clark expedition–but until RRAS most of the data has been collected in a vacuum. RRAS grew out of THIR’s need for a repeatable, efficient way to generate scientifically sound, defensible data appropriate to the stream restoration industry. Using RRAS, government agencies and others responsible for the health of the nation’s fresh ecosystems can now assess, inventory and monitor these important resources in less time and at a lower cost.

"RRAS will continue to evolve along with the industry, as it develops a more standardized way of collecting and sharing stream data," said Sprague.

Key to the development of RRAS were collaborative research and development agreements between THIR and the USACE, a partnership initiated by MSU TechLink, a Bozeman-based technology transfer organization.

Dan Swanson of MSU TechLink http://techlink.msu.montana.edu/ said, "We knew that the Corp’s field offices needed better and more timely data on changes to aquatic systems – particularly from
projects involving alternative approaches – and immediately recognized the outstanding potential of THIR’s technology for use in evaluating inventory and restoration projects by the Corps of Engineers."

The joint research included a two-year demonstration at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydrology Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss., of the design, installation and monitoring of bank stabilization technology using natural materials, as well as beta testing of the RRAS system.

RRAS is designed to be used on all types of rivers and streams. Its intuitive interface "walks" the field technician through the assessment protocol with prompts and automatic calculations, while companion desktop software transfers data and automates much of the analysis and reporting. As a result, not only are fewer field technicians required for data collection, post-processing time is dramatically decreased – from weeks or days to literally minutes -according to Sprague.

Since its establishment in 1996, MSU TechLink has helped to match companies in Montana with Department of Defense, NASA, and other federal labs for 170 successful technology transfer partnerships. These partnerships have involved technology licensing, joint research and development agreements, helping companies gain access to world-class federal research facilities, and assisting companies in competing effectively for federal funding.

Contact:

Dan Swanson, Project Director, MSU TechLink, (406) 994-7736, [email protected];

Will Swearingen, Executive Director, MSU TechLink, (406) 994-7704, [email protected];

Mike Sprague, CEO, THI RiverWorks, (406) 222-6466, [email protected]

http://www.montana.edu/commserv/csnews/nwview.php?article=2297