events and project sites in Deep Foundations magazine and on the DFI website. Recruiting and college outreach activities were also discussed, and these activities will be addressed in the future. All ideas are welcome, and DFI members are encouraged to participate and offer suggestions. Please email Mary Ellen Bruce to join the group and help define and conduct these new opportunities. Nominations for a group chair are also being accepted. Inaugural Meeting New DFI Subsurface Characterization for Deep Foundations Committee The inaugural meeting of the Subsurface Characterization for Deep Foundations Committee was held at the Annual Conference. Attendees of this meeting also represented the diversity of the DFI membership. In preparation for this meeting, DFI conducted a brief survey to gather information on existing like-focused committees in the industry and the scope of their activities so that the committee can determine the goals and activities of this new DFI committee. The survey was issued to a small subset of DFI members. The survey is still open, and we encourage all DFI members to participate. Please access the survey at http://survey.constantcontact. com/survey/a07e9z5st5si1812icy/start. The intent of the committee is to discuss and define subsurface characterization needs from the point of view of the entire geotechnical/foundation industry, so that correct and comprehensive information is provided to the end users (designers and contractors) and project change condition issues/debates are minimized. The committee will liaise with associated committees from other organizations and agencies to broaden the discussion within the engineering community—to find the common ground that allows the entire geotechnical industry and all project participants to minimize disagreement during construction, align expectations, and improve communication and understanding among related parties. DFI has been working closely with allied organizations (Geo-Institute, ADSC, PDCA, etc.) to try to identify the scope of each group’s activities so that we can all minimize duplication of efforts. Many associated groups have committees that are related to the new DFI committee, and their committee leaders are interested in col l abor a t ing wi th us . Seve r a l representatives attended the meeting and provided overviews of their activities. Bob Bachus of Geosyntec reviewed the ASCE GeoInstitute’s DIGGS Program, a GML (XML-based) geospatial standard schema for the transfer of geotechnical and geoenvironmental data within an organization or between multiple organizations. Geo-Institute hopes to implement this software throughout the geotechnical community to allow standardized data sharing. nical Engineering Circular No. 5 Evalu- ation of Soil and Rock Properties. The meeting attendees also briefly discussed the ASCE’s Geoconstructability Report (2011), which is a document developed by a multi-disciplinary group of industry representatives aimed at answering the question: What geotechnical information do project design and construction teams need from owners to better estimate, schedule, design and construct today’s civil engineering projects? This document can be downloaded free of charge at www.asce.org. It was also recog- nized that the AASHTO, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NAVFAC and others have established site investigation procedures. Subsurface Characterization for Deep Foundations Committee Other committees include: • Geo-Institute Engineering Geology and Site Characterization Committee (chair, Bill Yu, Case Western Reserve University). • Transportation Research Board (TRB) Exploration and Classification of Earth Materials (AFP20) Committee (chair, Krystle Pelham, New Hampshire Department of Transportation). • International Society for Soil Mech- anics and Geotechnical Engineering ( I S SMGE) Ground P rope r t y Characterization from In-Situ Tests. Silas Nichols, Federal Highway Adminis- tration, briefly outlined the scope of forthcoming updates to FHWA’s Geotech- Considering the active groups and existing guidance available, the DFI committee dis- cussed conducting activities that raise awareness of the need for accurate and effec- tive subsurface characterization informa- tion. The first task of the group will be to collect data and analyze the economic benefits of good subsurface investigation and characterization. Committee members and a chair, vice chair and secretary will be confirmed shortly. Bernie Hertlein of GEI Consultants will serve as the Committee’s Board of Trustees Liaison. Those interested in serving on the commit- tee as a member or leader are encouraged to contact Mary Ellen Bruce at [email protected]. We are particularly interested in inviting more contractor members to participate. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2014 • 91
