Peer review – a second opinion can save your project
We were engaged to peer review the work of an international air quality consultant. On face value it all looked very professional.
Latest models, high resolution, 3-D, temporal and spatial…blah, blah. However, the results of the assessment just didn’t ring true. The assessment predicted considerable impacts in the oddest of circumstances.
So we dug into the various data files to have a look behind the scenes. We always “lift up the bonnet” to see the inner workings of any study. We found an error in assigning units to wind speed data! This might sound like a small error, but the consequences were substantial – the difference between a viable project and no project!
this might sound like a small error, but the consequences were substantial – the difference between a viable project and no project!
Technological advances over the last twenty years have improved our ability to model complex systems such as the weather. Environmental and spatial data is more available and much easier to obtain. Computers are faster and data storage is immense.
Consequently, complicated air quality assessments have become the norm. With complexity comes a greater risk of error.
By engaging an expert to conduct a peer review of an air quality assessment you can reduce project risk, reduce cost and enhance the value of your investment.
An experienced peer reviewer can provide quick feedback on:
- Suitability of methods
- Significance of outcomes
- Conformance to regulatory expectations
- Analysis of project risks
- Likely conditions of approval
Air quality assessments are complicated and multi-faceted. Rarely are the errors evident by reading the text of the report. You’ve got to roll your sleeves up and get dirty. You need experience, an interest in the detail and the ability to pull back and say “does it really matter?”