Posts by Simon Welchman
Extracting value from NPI data
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes So first we need good data… The three levels of government in Australia can pull industry in different directions with sometimes duplicated, overlapping and…
Read MoreNavigating the Brisbane City Plan 2014 from an air quality perspective
Brisbane City Plan 2014 is Council’s plan for future development of Brisbane—it guides how land in Brisbane can be used and developed. Brisbane City Plan 2014 aims to deliver the goals and objectives of the Clean Air Strategy for Brisbane, which are to: Minimise the release of harmful pollutants to the air. Minimise the impact…
Read MoreWhat happens in conclave, stays in conclave…
My expert witness story….. I got my start as an expert witness in air quality by assisting my then boss with his cases. Initially it was reviewing specific parts of a brief, checking calculations, investigating alternative methods, searching through literature and carrying folders to meetings. Later, I would shadow him on meetings, take notes and…
Read MorePeer 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…
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