(DUBUQUE, IA) - Eagle Point recently announced the release of the latest upgrade to its series of land development software applications. Highlighting the enhancement list of the 2004 Q3 upgrade is the addition of the Define Channel command to RoadCalc. This command is designed for the USDA-NRCS and other conservation engineering organizations to aid in the design of grassed waterways.

“We have been using the Eagle Point RoadCalc tools for design of large grassed waterways. As a result of our discussion with them, they helped us look at the specifics of the design process and worked with us to determine design efficiency improvements,” says Norman Friedrich, Civil Engineer with the USDA-NRCS. “Based on that review and their discussion with other NRCS offices, Eagle Point has added a Define Channel function that will make the process much easier and provide time savings for our designs.”

Through interaction with multiple USDA-NRCS offices in Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, along with others, it became apparent that many of these states were currently unable to keep up with the demand of one of their more widely used conservation practices. After additional investigation, and broadening the relationships with these offices, it was proposed that the USDA-NRCS grassed waterways conservation practice could benefit from the implementation of existing Eagle Point tools and the creation of specific, custom design tools.

"By following our investigation process with various USDA-NRCS offices, as well as the Information Technology Center (ITC) in Colorado, we were able to learn, in detail, the workflow processes involved in designing grassed waterways. As a result, this knowledge allowed us to develop software tools and implementation plans aimed at streamlining this conservation practice,” explains Jim Pullen, Vice President and Federal Accounts Team Leader at Eagle Point.

The Define Channel specialized functionality is available in new Eagle Point licenses or existing Eagle Point licenses covered under a current VIP subscription program. Eagle Point VIP clients receive these upgrades automatically as a benefit of their VIP status.

Eagle Point staff is readily available to assist clients with their implementation of these tools into their workflow as well as to offer consulting services into other opportunities. The How to Model Grassed Waterways using Eagle Point guide is available at: http://eaglepoint.com/clients/NRCS/.

Founded in 1983, Eagle Point offers business consulting services, technologies, and technology implementation services for land development professionals worldwide.

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