Project Interview (1/28 Assignment)

For the week of January 28th, we were to interview an expert in the field our final project is in. So, I chose to interview Dr. Joel Aquino, my IB Physics teacher. I asked questions, he answered, and I responded. Below is the interview script:

1. What experience do you have in the field of geology?

-I earned my doctorate degree in geological engineering was a geological engineer for the main part of my career throughout southeastern Asia.

-That’s impressive! I’m going to assume you’ve evaluated land as part of your job before.

2. So, what goes into evaluating an area of land?

-The water flow patterns, slope of hills, soil qualities, placement of settlements in the area, and similar locations will be analyzed. If the area is deemed suitable for building, it may be done. If not, an alternative solution must be found.

-It sounds like there is a lot to this process, so I guess we’ll continue in your area of expertise.

3. How are the slope of land and water tables examined without actually going to the site?

-USGS and TIGER data can be viewed in three dimensions in specially-built software.

-That seems complicated to be able to analyze.

4. How does this software work?

-It takes the data and color-codes it, ranging from blue being the lowest in elevation to red being the highest in elevation.

-If it’s that easy, then it must be pretty wide-spread.

5. How often is USGS and TIGER data used in land analysis?

-It’s often used as a preliminary method of analyzing potential land development sites and is used to simulate land movements after grading is done for the project.

-Now I'm going to ask some questions about the program and data itself.

6. What does TIGER stand for?

-TIGER means Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing.

-There must be something special sense the data is encoded and referenced.

7. What program do I need to look at TIGER and USGS data together?

-TransDEM.

-Now let’s move toward my focused application of this information.

8. How long would the process of planning and environmental studies and preliminary design take for a short rail line?

-I would estimate that this would take about 6 years to complete. One year for planning and five years for environmental studies. The preliminary design would overlap the last two years of environmental studies.

-That sounds like a really long time.

9. Despite the long wait, what benefits could a new rail line bring to a community?

-A new railroad could help a town grow industrially and therefore economically. It would also make it easier to access, thus making living there more convenient.

-I know a lot of towns like their heritage and their ability to be easily identified, though.

10. So in the interest of maintaining the ability to identify a town based on the surrounding land area, how much would change if a new rail line were built?

-That all depends on the route chosen and how much grading is required.  If a town really wants to keep its looks, the rail line will likely be more hilly and harder to negotiate, but the payoff the town will receive from its presence could make up for that entirely.

-That’s a lot to consider. Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Aquino!