Consulting engineering firm GIBB has expanded its environmental offerings with the introduction of two new service lines:Waste Engineering and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This follows extensive research into emerging environmental services trends in international and African markets.
Waste Engineering According to GIBB General Manager for the Environmental Services Sector Dr Urishanie Govender, the company identified waste engineering as an important growth area for the firm following a market GAP analysis. “We responded to the market through organic growth and forming strategic partnerships with key players in waste engineering, who have specific expertise in waste landfill design and contaminated land management.”
Dr Urishanie Govender
Geographic Information Systems
The GIS service line provides spatial data on projects, ranging from base maps to spatial analysis. Some of the major offerings include least-cost-route-analysis, catchment delineation, remote sensing (particularly in the rest of Africa where there is a lack of data), slope analysis; and visual impact assessments. Deon de Witt who heads up the GIS service line says GIS is not just about mapping and data capturing. “An important aspect of what we offer is spatial analysis, for example, Least-Cost-Route-Analysis allows us to take all factors into account and come up with least-cost models. Often projects commence without proper GIS analysis being conducted. This can mean going back to the drawing board to find solutions to challenges that could have been dealt with up front.” GIBB intends to grow its GIS and Waste Engineering offerings significantly. “With increased global focus on environmental accountability, this is an area GIBB cannot afford to ignore. These two services will boost our existing offerings, which include environmental impact assessments, sustainability services, technical peer review, public participation, environmental monitoring and compliance management and auditing,” says Govender.
