Kartotrak

Kartotrak is used to characterize contaminated sites and soils, mapping the spatial distribution of pollutants, estimating contaminated soil volumes, and supporting remediation and decommissioning decisions. It covers both chemical contamination (hydrocarbons, metals, solvents, BTEX, HAPs) and radiological contamination (nuclear facilities and decommissioning projects). Kartotrak can be used at any stage of a remediation project: during the scoping and characterization phase, during remediation to guide excavation, or after remediation to verify site compliance with cleanup regulatory objectives.

Kartotrak is a dedicated, turnkey solution specifically designed for contaminated site characterization. Its workflow is preconfigured, and guides users step by step — from data loading and quality control to volume estimation and remediation planning — without requiring advanced geostatistical knowledge. Isatis.neo is a general-purpose geostatistics platform covering a much wider range of methods and industries. Both are developed by Geovariances, and Kartotrak intermediate files can be exported to Isatis.neo for advanced analysis or visualization.

Yes. Kartotrak was originally developed for radiological characterization in nuclear facilities, in partnership with the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). It has since been extended to fully cover chemical contamination. For radiological applications, Kartotrak connects directly with in-situ measurement devices, including gamma spectrometers, scintillation detectors, ORTEC products, Canberra germanium detectors, and Saphymo DSP detectors, enabling real-time 2D data acquisition on radioactively contaminated sites. For chemical contamination, it handles multi-pollutant scenarios with distinct regulatory thresholds for each pollutant and can derive contaminated masses and soil volumes for each substance.

Kartotrak includes the statistical tests from the MARSSIM guidebook (Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual), used in the United States to verify site compliance with cleanup objectives. It is compatible with French regulatory requirements and produces auditable, reproducible outputs with full parameter traceability, meeting the documentation requirements of French and international regulatory authorities.

Kartotrak reduces costs at two key stages. During the investigation, it identifies under-sampled and high-uncertainty zones, so that additional sampling is targeted only where it adds real value, avoiding unnecessary field campaigns. During remediation planning, its geostatistical volume estimation and risk analysis tools enable accurate sizing of the excavation plan, striking the right balance between remediation performance and waste volumes. Studies have shown that errors in volume estimation at the diagnostic stage can exceed 30% in a third of remediation projects; geostatistical methods consistently yield the smallest, least dispersed estimation errors.

Kartotrak manages volume estimation uncertainty through two complementary approaches. The first is kriging, which produces the most probable estimate of the contamination at each unsampled location along with a local confidence indicator — the kriging variance — that quantifies how reliable each estimate is. The second is geostatistical simulation, which generates a set of equally probable realizations of the contamination. From these realizations, Kartotrak computes exceedance probabilities per regulatory threshold, confidence intervals on contaminated volumes, and risk-based classification of soil zones. This dual approach enables decisions that are grounded in the full range of possible outcomes — not a single deterministic model — which is essential for defensible excavation planning and regulatory reporting.

Yes. Kartotrak can be deployed directly in the field, from a specially equipped vehicle or carried on-site, to acquire and record surface measurements in real time in tandem with a differential GPS for precise localization of sampling points. It connects with a wide range of insitu measurement devices, including all ORTEC products, Canberra germanium detectors, and Saphymo DSP detectors. As new measurements are acquired, Kartotrak updates the site model dynamically, enabling real-time mapping of covered areas — even very large ones — and informing decisions on where to focus additional investigation.

Kartotrak supports the data formats standard in environmental site investigation: CSV, Excel, and geographic vector files (SHP, DXF, GeoTIFF, MapInfo, ESRI Shapefile). Results are exported with full georeferencing information as GeoTIFF, ArcGIS, or NetCDF files. For radiological applications, Kartotrak connects directly with a range of in-situ measurement devices, including all ORTEC products, CSP probes from Mirion Technologies (Canberra), and the Saphymo DSP detector. All Kartotrak intermediate files can be exported to Isatis.neo for advanced geostatistical analysis

Kartotrak is designed to make geostatistics accessible to environmental engineers and site managers who are not geostatistical specialists. Its preconfigured workflow, intuitive interface, and guided steps allow users to produce reliable results without advanced statistical knowledge. Geovariances also offers training courses from introductory to advanced levels, specifically calibrated for contaminated site applications.

If your project involves characterizing contamination, estimating volumes to be treated, or planning a remediation or decommissioning program, Kartotrak is designed for you. Contact our team, and a Geovariances geostatistician will guide you free of charge within 48 hours toward the most appropriate solution.