Formation

Mapping and estimation of contaminated volumes using geostatistics

From sample to remediation: learn geostatistics to rigorously map contamination, quantify impacted volumes, and confidently manage uncertainty in your remediation plans.
Prochaine session Oct. 19-21, 2026
Durée 3 days
Prix EUR 1650

Objectives

  • Understand and master the use of geostatistics solutions to characterize chemical pollution or radiological contamination.
  • Generate robust contamination maps, with a quantified level of accuracy.
  • Objectively delineate the impacted areas and quantify the uncertainty level associated with estimated volumes.

 

Outlines

  • Half of the course is devoted to methodological presentations, the second half to practical exercises on real-life cases to deepen the understanding of concepts. The focus is on illustrations and practical applications of the concepts covered.
  • Computer exercises with Kartotrak.
  • Course material provided.

 

Who should attend

Engineers, technicians, consultancies, project owners, prime contractors, public bodies, and industrial operators who wish a practical introduction to the geostatistical methods for pollution/contamination characterization.

 

Course content

Day 1: Analyze data and their variability in space

  • Better understand pollution data and put them back in their environmental context: taking into account historical and contextual data (lithology, aerial views, Digital Elevation Model, etc.) and 2D/3D visualization.
  • Validate data: use of statistical methods for data analysis and quality control (correlations, histograms, etc.).
  • Understand the concept of spatial variability and the operational implications for the feasibility of some cleanup methods.
  • Quantify the spatial variability of a pollutant: calculation, interpretation, and modeling of the variogram.

 

Day 2: Pollution/contamination mapping

  • Discover usual interpolation methods and their limits of application.
  • Understand the principles and properties of 2D and 3D kriging, and implement the technique to rigorously map pollution/contamination.
  • Use kriging results to identify the areas that require further characterization.
  • Go further with multivariate geostatistics.

 

Day 3: Quantify contaminated soil volumes

  • Understand the difference between kriging and conditional simulations: why simulations are essential to a rigorous analysis of the uncertainties.
  • Learn how to implement conditional simulations to:
    – Generate probability maps of exceeding a regulatory threshold (2D/3D).
    – Generate distribution curves of the surface/volume of soil requiring remediation according to the risk of exceeding a given threshold.
    – Calculate the pollutant mass from soil density and pollutant concentration.
  • Derive the surface, volume, and mass of soil requiring remediation according to the ‘’Pareto-Sol’’ principle.
  • Generate excavation maps from 3D-interpolated contamination maps.
  • Compare the efficiency of the different cleanup scenarios.

 

Prerequisites

This course does not require prior knowledge in geostatistics. Some basic knowledge of statistics is an asset.

This course can also be followed by an “à la carte” workshop based on your data.