Scientists involved in environmental studies are faced with many different analytical tasks, such as assembling baseline studies, evaluating the contributing influence of chemical discharge to complex natural systems, and modeling biological response.  Industrial scientists are concerned with the mechanics of recycling materials and maintaining process control systems that minimize pollution.  Governmental control agencies, such as the EPA, are interested in detecting the presence of specific environmental agents, as well as assessing environmental damage from human sources.

Sometimes the problem is simply the enumeration of the presence or absence of constituents, whether natural or introduced.  Other concerns deal with the influence that environmental factors will have on living systems.  In-field monitors and laboratory instrumentation may not directly measure these influence factors.  Therefore, we are forced to make measurements of an indirect set of variables which may be only weakly correlated to the properties of interest in the system.  Convenient and powerful multivariate methods have proven useful in managing and analyzing these types of complex problems.

For example, envision a chromatogram or spectral profile of a sediment extract as a fingerprint of the constituents in the sample.  The pattern represents the varying amounts of the individual chemicals present.  The variation contained in the signature patterns of these samples from multiple sites can reveal chemical relationships which can be characteristic of known natural phenomena or identified pollution sources.  Infometrix works with Federal, State and local regulatory agencies providing the smartest solutions for environmental forensics and monitoring.