AGHP Committees & Working Groups

AGHP's goal is to support the development of standards, specifications, and best practices concerning the design and implementation of geohazard-related technologies and products; and to support and provide education to the geohazard community and those it serves. The Association achieves this in part through the creation of multiple resources, many of which will be led by AGHP's dedicated committees. All members are encouraged to join one or more of the committees listed below.

Chaired by Dr. Guillaume Piton and Dr. Larry Gurrola

As human development continues to encroach upon hillsides and extreme rainfall events occur with increasing frequency due to climate change, dangers associated with geophysical flows will inevitably increase. Despite efforts on improving scientific understanding and mitigating geophysical hazards, as many as 2,250 deaths resulted from 444 fatal landslides in 2016. There is undoubtedly a need to dedicate resources to mitigate geophysical hazards. The focus of this committee is to collect, disseminate, and produce reliable data, develop new technology and resources for the mitigation of debris flows that will be made available through the Association. It is envisioned that the committee will consist of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds including industry professionals, consultants and academics that are actively engaged in planning, constructing and researching mitigation measures.

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Chaired by Ty Ortiz of Rocksol
(ortiz@rocksol)

The Education Committee strives to provide training and tools to all aspects of the profession and to improve the quality and delivery of constructed products. This would include contractor-led seminars on construction methods and quality assurance, engineer/geologist-led workshops on design and standards of practice, and professional development opportunities such as project management.

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Chaired by Martin Derby of Golder
Martin_Derby@golder.com

Co Chaired by John Metzger of AssetAssurance Monitoring
john.metzger@aamonitoring.net

Monitoring Lead: Steve Borron of Global Slope Monitoring Consultants steveborron@gsmconsultants.com

Instrumentation Lead: Nolan Seles of GEOKON
nseles@geokon.com

The goal of this committee is to provide a current and substantive base of information in the fields of Geohazard Monitoring and Instrumentation. The current working environment for Geo-professionals requires an opportunity to learn, share, develop, and review the Best Practice and Initiatives in this dynamic field. Remote sensing instrument review and education, traditional instrumentation, project planning and development will be offered for the benefit of the Association members and practicing professionals and administrators. Committee members will work together to align various methods and techniques with the view of providing a solution driven exchange and methods for broader sectoral and national use.

Chaired by Marc Fish and Mike Mulhern.

Currently, there is no available training or certification for rope access workers specific to the geohazard industry. Standard training for recreational climbing, search and rescue, arborists, security, avalanche control, and structures are very task specific. The difference between working on slopes in the geohazard industry and working in these other fields is significant. Each requires different skills, techniques and equipment. The purpose of this committee is to develop a standard of best practice that insures safe and appropriate procedures for the Geohazard Industry.

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