Mapping Out an Improved Food Waste Disposal System for New York City
AKRF conducted a detailed study of the relative costs and benefits of commercial food waste disposal through New York City’s wastewater system as compared with the current land-based disposal system.
As the lead preparer of the study, AKRF provided GIS data migration and management, spatial analysis, geocoding services, and map production.
The effort included:
- “Scrubbing” and geocoding tens of thousands of food service establishments, sewer backup events, drainage catchment areas, and other features from disparate sources
- Overlaying result datasets to identify relationships with each other and with sewer outfall locations, wastewater treatment plants, and truck routes
- Aggregating and summarizing establishments, events and violations by drainage catchment area, community district, and other boundaries
The AKRF team prepared visually simple maps and tables to present the complex results of the study, and also provided written documentation of GIS procedures and standards used to support the analysis.
Project
NYCDEP Food Waste Disposal Study
Location
New York City
Client
New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP)