Introduction

Pocket ESA has taken over three years to develop and represents a new method for collecting and reporting Phase I and II ESA data, Transaction Screening, Asbestos Surveys, Radon Sampling, Lead Sampling, etc. 

Pocket ESA has been designed to minimize the amount of time required to generate a standard Environmental Site Assessment reports and to maximize the flexibility of the final report. A wide variety of reports can be created; including Phase I ESAs, Phase II ESAs, Environmental Compliance, and Transaction Screening. The reports can be tailored to any standard such as CSA and ASTM. 

The Pocket ESA program is used to collect answers to pre-designed questions. The data can collected on a Pocket PC, Laptop, or paper form. These answers are then merged with a report template and a standard report is generated. The merging process allows the user to insert different responses and paragraphs into the report depending upon how a question is answered.

Features of the program include:

• Reports can be generated to follow any standard, including ASTM and CSA.
• Reports can be used for Phase I ESAs, Phase II ESAs, Environmental Compliance, Transaction Screening, etc.
• In addition to your answers to the questionnaire, photos (ex. site, aerial, historic) and third-party reports (ex. EDR, EPA, NPRI) can also be integrated into the final report.
• The data can be collected on a Pocket PC, a laptop, or paper form. 
• The data can be uploaded from the Pocket PC one survey at a  time or an entire project at a time.
• A blank paper form to collect the data for a questionnaire can be created with the press of a button.
• The answers to questions are tracked, and a list of unanswered questions can be displayed at any time.
• Microsoft Access database management system.
• Master project database tracks projects over a network.
• Report templates are created and edited in Microsoft Word.
• There can be an unlimited number of questionnaires.
• Questionnaires can contain an unlimited number of questions.
• Text macros can be created on the desktop and used on the Pocket PC to rapidly enter common text answers; such as, asbestos materials, drainage, site descriptions, storage tank contents, etc.
• Merged report can be immediately opened in Word. 

Pocket ESA can be used to generate almost any kind of report, based on a report template and questionnaire. To help you to start using the program as soon as possible, the program comes with several questionnaires and report templates. In addition, GAEA can create the report template and questionnaire tailored to your needs. The cost for this service varies with the complexity of the report and generally ranges between $1,000 and $3,000.

Program Description

	The Pocket ESA program has been designed to minimize the amount of time required to generate a standard report and to maximize the flexibility of the final report. To accomplish this, the process has been divided into four steps. The first two steps only need to be performed once for each type of questionnaire and report. The last two steps are performed for each survey.  In the description below, the term survey is used to denote a specific Phase I ESA, Phase II ESA, Environmental Compliance Audit, or Transaction Screening. These steps are: Step 1 Create a Report Template The first step is to create a report template using Microsoft Word. This template is later merged with the specific responses of a survey to create a final report. The template is a generic form of the final report and contains keywords where the specific answers to the questionnaire are to be merged into the report. These keywords are highlighted in the report template using a unique style created for the Pocket ESA program.  The answers to be merged into the report are not necessarily the direct answers to the questions, but are the text responses associated with the answer.  Step 2 Create a Questionnaire The next step is to create a questionnaire that is used to collect the survey data.  After a questionnaire has been created it can be downloaded to the Pocket PC or used directly on the desktop. Questionnaires are divided into sections and subsections which can contain any number of questions. For every question a question type is selected. The question type determines the format of the question and allowable answers that are used to collect the data. There are numerous question types that can be selected. After the question type has been selected and the question entered, the text associated with each allowable response is entered. This is the text that will actually be merged into the final report. Step 3 Enter Survey Data After the questionnaire has been created, it can be used to collect the survey data in the field. The data is collected by answering each of the questions in the questionnaire. The form used and allowable answers for the question are specified when the questionnaire is created. The data can be entered on a Pocket PC, Laptop, or paper form. On the desktop and Pocket PC all of the data is automatically saved as it is entered.  Step 4 Merge the Survey Data with the Report Template The final step is to create a final report by merging the data collected on the Pocket PC or desktop with the report template. During the merging process the keywords in the report template are replaced by the text associated with each of the answers to the questions.  After the survey data has been merged a final report will be created in Microsoft Word format. This report can then be edited in Word.

Features

The Pocket ESA program has been designed to minimize the amount of time required to generate a standard report and to maximize the flexibility of the final report. To accomplish this, the process has been divided into four steps. The first two steps only need to be performed once for each type of questionnaire and report. The last two steps are performed for each survey

In the features below, the term survey is used to denote a specific Phase I ESA, Phase II ESA, Environmental Compliance Audit, or Transaction Screening.

	Project Features Pocket ESA is based upon the project concept for data storage, where the user has numerous projects and within each project there are numerous surveys. Using this method, a Microsoft Access database is used to store each project. Each project is stored in a separate directory, which can be on the same computer or spread across a network. A master database is used to keep track of projects and their locations. This master project database is also used to store data (such as questionnaires and text macros) that is common to all projects. The creation and editing of projects is supported by the following features  Microsoft Access database management system. Master project database tracks projects over a network. Separate toolbar for project functions only.  No limit to the number of projects. New projects can be easily created.  Project directories are automatically created. Existing projects can be opened and closed using toolbar and menu commands. Projects can be deleted, including project directories. Projects not in master database can be imported into master database. Projects can be exported to be used on a different computer. Surveys can be uploaded from the Pocket PC one at a  time or an entire project at a time.

Report Template Features

The first step when using the Pocket ESA program, is to create a report template using Microsoft Word. This template is later merged with the specific responses of a survey to create a final report. The template is a generic form of the final report and contains keywords where the specific answers to the questionnaire are to be merged into the report. These keywords are highlighted in the report template using a unique style created for the Pocket ESA program. 

The answers to be merged into the report are not necessarily the direct answers to the questions, but are the text responses associated with the answer. 

For example, if the answer to the question “Are there any ACMs suspected?” is “No” the text merged into the final report is not necessarily “No” but could be a paragraph of text that has been associated with this response; such as, “There are no asbestos containing materials suspected on the subject property.” This response can be further edited on the desktop prior to being merged.

The creation and editing of report templates is supported by the following features 

• Templates are created and edited in Microsoft Word.
• There can be an unlimited number of questionnaires.
• Each questionnaire has one report template. 
• Report templates can be used by more than one questionnaire.
• Report templates can be created from an existing report. 
• There is an unlimited number of keywords in a report template.
• Keywords can be replaced only once or throughout the report.
• The Phase I ESA style can be customized in preferences.
• An appendix can be added to the report template that will only contain the questions and their direct answers.

Questionnaire Features

After the report template has been created the next step is to create a questionnaire that is used to collect the survey data. This questionnaire will assign a keyword specified in the report template to each question. The text associated with the answer to that question will then replace the keyword when the actual survey data is merged to create a final report.

For every question a question type is selected. The question type determines the format of the question and allowable answers that are used to collect the data. After the question type has been selected and the question entered, the text associated with each allowable response is entered. This is the text that will actually be merged into the final report.

The creation and editing of questionnaires is supported by the following features 

• All questionnaires are stored in a Microsoft Access database.
• There can be an unlimited number of questionnaires.
• Each questionnaire has one report template. 
• Questionnaires are divided into an unlimited number of sections and subsections.
• Questionnaires can contain an unlimited number of questions.
• Each question has a question type assigned that determines the types of allowable responses. 
• There are numerous questions types.
• A list of keywords in the report template that have not been used by the questionnaire can be displayed.
• A blank paper form for the questionnaire can be printed and used for field data collection.
• Questionnaires can be downloaded to the Pocket PC or used directly on the desktop.
• Questionnaires can be imported and exported for use on other computers.

Data Collection Features

After a questionnaire has been created, survey data can be collected on either the desktop or Pocket PC. All survey data is organized into Projects. Before the data can be entered, either a new project must be created or an existing project opened. The created or opened project is then referred to as the current project. After the project has been opened, the new survey can be created. 

The creation and editing of surveys is supported by the following features 

• Projects can contain an unlimited number of surveys.
• All surveys are stored in the project database in Microsoft Access database format on the desktop and binary format on the Pocket PC.
• Phase I ESA data can be entered on the Pocket PC or desktop.
• Data entered on the Pocket PC can be uploaded and edited on the desktop. 
• Survey data is saved automatically as it is entered on the Pocket PC.
• The questions that have been answered are tracked and a list of un-answered questions can be displayed.
• Pictures and other text files can be inserted into the response for a question.
• Text macros can be created on the desktop and used on the Pocket PC to rapidly enter common text answers; such as, asbestos materials, drainage, site descriptions, storage tank contents, etc.

Merge Features

After the survey data has been collected on the Pocket PC or desktop, it can be merged with the report template to create the final report. During the merging process the keywords in the report template are replaced by the text associated with each of the answers to the survey questions. This last step in the process is performed on the desktop version of the program. 

When the merging is complete a final report will be created in Microsoft Word format. This report can then be edited in Word to include the information regarding the records reviews and interviews.

The merging of surveys is supported by the following features 

• One or all of the surveys in a project can be merged.
• There is an option to merge only the questions and answers without the report template. This can be used to create an appendix of the survey results.
• Merged report can be immediately opened in Word.