Corridor and Eis Studies Enter the CADD Age

Until recently, most major corridor studies and studies of environmental impact statements have been done using traditional manual methods. The major stumbling block to performing corridor and EIS studies cost‐effectively on computer‐aided design and drafting (CADD) has been that most of the base data was not available in a digital format compatible with most CADD systems. The only methods for inputting this base data were to either digitize or scan a large amount of data, each of which can be costly and time consuming. Now, however, a number of government agencies and private firms have been developing environmental and topographic data into a digital format resulting in cost effective data bases for corridor and EIS studies. As the technology and variety of data bases changes the way we think about our work, it will also change the way we organize resources to accomplish the work. This paper covers sources of digital environmental data, how the data can be used, basic procedures for performing corridor and EIS projects on CADD, and an example of how the Sverdrup Corporation is using CADD on planning projects.