Impact Identification Methodologies

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 Impact Identification Methodologies

Impact Identification
Methodologies

Interaction Overlay Expert

Matrices
Checklists Networks
technique System

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 Networks Method
This was first given by Sorenson in 1971, primarily to explain linkages between
different environmental aspects. It is solely used to illustrate and understand primary,
secondary and tertiary impacts of a developmental activity.

Networks illustrate the cause-effect relationship of project activities and environmental

characteristics. They are, therefore, particularly useful in identifying and depicting
secondary impacts (indirect, cumulative, etc.).

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 Networks Method - Examples

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 Networks Method - Examples

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 Networks Method - Advantages

❖ Networks help us follow the chain of events of a developmental projects,

and its associated impacts.

❖ It can assess multiple impacts at the same time, helping us identify links that
can easily be overlooked in the checklist or matrices forms of impact
assessment.

❖ It can be aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow if done in a proper way.

Often, networks are called “impact trees”.

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 Networks Method - Disadvantages
❖ However, networks do have considerable disadvantages. Unlike matrices,
networks give no information at all about the magnitude and the significance
of impacts.

❖ Further, no matter how hard you try, the networks can get very long and
messy. This is especially the case if the project being assessed is a large-
scale project.

❖ In order to identify all levels of impacts, considerable knowledge of the

environmental conditions of the project area is required. This puts impetus
on the extent of detail in the baseline study.

❖ It is only preferred over other methods when multiple levels of impacts are
expected at every stage of the development.
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 Matrices Method

A matrix is a grid-like table that is used to identify the interaction between project activities,
which are displayed along one axis, and environmental characteristics, which are displayed along
the other axis.

“Entries” are made in the cells to highlight impact severity or other features to the nature of the
impact; for instance, tick or symbols can identify impact type (such as direct, indirect, and
cumulative) pictorially, numbers or a range of dot sizes can indicate scale, or descriptive
comments can be made.

An early, well-known example is the Leopold interaction matrix. It is used to identify the
potential impact of a project on the environment. The system consists of a matrix with rows
representing the various activities of the project, and columns representing the various
environmental factors to be considered. The intersections are filled in to indicate the magnitude
(from -10 to +10) and the importance (from 1 to 10) of the impact of each activity on each
environmental factor.

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 Types of Interaction Matrices

Interaction Matrices

Other forms of
Simple matrices Stepped matrices matrices

1. Modified Graded matrix

2. Impact Summary matrix
3. Loran matrix

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 Simple Matrix

This is simply a list of environmental aspects listed along the vertical axis, against
which we determine whether an activity would have an adverse effect, no effect or
beneficial effect. A simple “x” or “tick” is given under the appropriate column.

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 Simple Matrix - Example

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 Leopold Matrix

The top division is used to describe the magnitude of the impact that activity will have
on the environmental aspect, and the bottom division is used to describe the
significance of that impact.

This matrix consists of a list of 100 project activities on the horizontal axis, and about
88 environmental/social aspects on the vertical axis. Both, the magnitude and the
significance, are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing a very important
interaction and 1 an interaction of relatively low importance.
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 Leopold Matrix - Example

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 Leopold Matrix - Disadvantages

The one big disadvantage of the Leopold matrix is that it does not explicitly describe
spatial and temporal effects of the environmental activity. It merely gives us the
magnitude and significance of the interaction.

Second, it tends to be too simplified when you require a comprehensive analysis of the
impacts on the project area. A numerical value of the magnitude and impact is not
sufficient for a contractor to understand the impact their activities are having and why
they should overcome it.

Third, they cannot explain linkages between two environmental aspects. In other words,
it does not describe secondary and tertiary impacts. It is extremely likely that more than
one activity will have multiple levels of impacts on the environmental aspects of the
project area.

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 Component Interaction Matrix
Environment Canada proposed a different form of matrix in 1974 called the
Component Interaction Matrix to detect indirect impacts systematically and
understand them easily. This overcame a big drawback of the Leopold matrix.

Here, instead of taking activities on the horizontal axis and environmental components
on the vertical axis, both axes listed environmental components. So, if two components
were seen to be linked by secondary or tertiary interactions, they would be marked by 1,
2, etc. And if they are not impacted by multiple levels of interactions, they would be
marked zero. An example is given below:

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 Interaction Matrix – A Typical Example for CETP

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 Stepped Matrix

❖ A stepped matrix, also called as cross impact matrix, can be used to address
secondary and tertiary impacts of initiating actions.

❖ A stepped matrix is one in which environmental factors are displayed against other
environmental factors. The consequences and of initial changes in some factors on
other factors can be displayed.

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 Checklist Method

➢ Checklists annotate the environmental features or factors that need to be addressed

when identifying the impacts of projects and activities.

➢ They can vary in complexity and purpose, from a simple checklist to a structured
methodology or system that also assigns significance by scaling and weighting the
impacts.

➢ They also have been developed for application to particular types of projects and
categories of impacts (such as dams or road building)

➢ Checklists represent one of the basic methods used in environmental assessment.

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 Categories of Checklist

Checklist

Simple Descriptive Threshold of Scaling Scaling-

concern Weighting
Checklist Checklist checklist checklist checklist

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 Variations of Checklist

Simple- Where a list of activities is drawn up against which, the aspects it will impact is
written down.

Descriptive- Along with the aspects, information on how this aspect is affected is
written down. This is where levels of impact is considered.

Scaling- Against each impact, a scale of 1-3 is used to quantitatively estimate the
impact (completely subjective).

Questionnaire- This is what is described above. This also takes stakeholders’ opinion
into account. It is detailed and comprehensive.

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 Checklist Method – Example

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 Checklist Method – Example

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 Simple Checklist

❖ A simple checklist is a straightforward list of relevant parameters with no guidelines

being provided about how the environmental effects are to be measured or
interpreted.

❖ An example would be short descriptive statements used to outline the effects

associated with a proposal.

❖ For instance, with a coal-based power project descriptive comments could be

planning and design phase impact on land use through speculation and acquisition of
property for the project. In the construction phase, the comments may be noise and
displacement of people.

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 Descriptive Checklist
❖ Descriptive checklists are widely used in environmental impact studies. Descriptive
checklists are also used for transportation projects and land development projects.

❖ The transportation methodology addresses social, economic, and physical impacts of

highway construction and operation.

❖ “Social impacts” include effects related to community cohesion, accessibility of

facilities and services, and displacement of people.

❖ “Economic impacts” relate to those on employment, income and business activity,

residential activity, property taxes, regional and community plans and growth, and
resources.

❖ “Physical impacts” address changes on esthetics and historic values, terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems, air quality, noise, and vibration.
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 Threshold of Concern Checklist
❖ A threshold that indicates a level at which the assessor should become concerned
about the impact. Impacts can also be rated for their durations;

❖ A indicates a duration of the impact of 1 year or less, B indicates 1–10 years, C is

for 10–50 years, and D indicates an irreversible impact.

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 Scaling Checklist
Like descriptive checklists, these include additional information that is basic to the
scaling of parameter values; that is, they use scaling techniques. For example, with a
transport project, the environmental effects may be outlined as follows:

In this case, the scaling values have been assigned from a range of 6 to +5 using
subjective evaluation. From this list or table, an assessment of three alternatives could
be made by comparing the number of plus and minus ratings, taking the ratio of plus to
minus ratings, taking the algebraic sum of the ratings, comparing the average of the
ratings, and so on.

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 Scaling - Weighting Checklist
These checklists are essentially scaling checklists with information provided to enable
the subjective evaluation of each parameter with respect to every other parameter.
• Obtain existing condition data for each of the 78 environmental factors. Convert
these parameter data to EQ scale values. Multiply the scale values by the weighting
factor for each environmental factor to develop a composite score for the
environment without the project.

• For each alternative, predict the change in the environmental parameters.

• Using these predicted changes, determine the EQ scale value for each parameter and
for each alternative.

• Multiply the EQ values by the relevant weighting factor and aggregate the
information for a total composite score for each alternative.

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 Selection of Impact Assessment Method

❖ Scale of the Project

❖ Extent of detail required

❖ Time available for the project

❖ Budget involved

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