A new project for Genwest’s oil spill response scientists is development of the Online Oil Spill Technologies Selection Guide. The Online Guide will be a web-based, interactive version of the print Oil Spill Technologies Selection Guide, which was developed under the leadership of Regional Response Teams III and IV.  By transforming the Selection Guide into a web application, Genwest’s specialists will enable oil spill responders and planners to rapidly assess and apply a wide range of non-conventional technologies for controlling oil spills.

Among the many kinds of non-conventional technologies for oil spill response are chemical and biological products such as dispersants, shoreline cleaners, and bioremediation agents, and strategies such as in situ burning. While non-conventional technologies aren’t as well-known as oil skimming or containment booms, they carry the potential to be extremely useful in controlling spills. A key objective for the Online Guide is to make information about these potentially valuable options easy and quick to access during responses.

Using interactive decision tools built into the Online Guide, responders will be able to quickly identify the types of non-conventional technologies most likely to be effective in a given response, under particular environmental conditions. They will then be able to easily research specific products to determine which to select for their response.

Besides enabling responders to make decisions about non-conventional technologies within the tight time frame of spill response, the Online Guide also will make it easier for responders to collaborate in gaining better knowledge of spill technologies and their selection.