A Look into Remote Sensing and GIS Analysis

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We sat down with Dr. Alex Onojeghuo, Senior Geospatial Analyst at Solstice. Alex joined our team in July 2019 and has been working extensively on our remote sensing and GIS analysis for our clients. 

What is Remote Sensing and GIS Analysis?

“In simple terms, we use satellite imagery to map the spatial extent of wetlands across the province,” says Dr. Onojeghuo.

The customized tool informs land-use management for both industry and government. We integrate GIS analytics with regulatory expertise to support environmental assessments, landscape planning, municipal development, wetland conservation, and other policy-relevant environmental challenges.

At Solstice, we have mapped a wide range of landscapes from boreal to parkland to grassland and urban settings across Alberta. Our specialists combine and translate satellite imagery, LiDAR, terrain and other spatial data products into mapping of land cover types, wetland locations, soil types and other environmental sensitivities.

What Are The Benefits of Remote Sensing and GIS Analysis?

Dr. Onojeghuo adds, “one of the key things that we pride ourselves on is that we actually take into concentration the place of policy in most of the things we do so we provide technical advice and guidance to our clients on how the particular wetland can affect their businesses and how it affects policy across the province.”

The benefits of this unique technology include, but are not limited to:

  • Quicker turnaround times compared to physically going to the field to do required mapping;

  • Many public information is out-dated, our system provides up-to-date and current information;

  • Our team consists of dedicated technical staff that support our clients with these requests; and

  • It is applicable across industries: from farmers looking for how wetlands affect their fields to oil and gas or engineering sectors with road development and infrastructure. 

To add to the above points, another important factor with wetland mapping comes down to weather. Any Albertan knows that in the winter, our weather can be less than ideal, meaning that the traditional opportunity to classify wetlands would need to occur during the non-winter months, which does not always align with construction planning and their respective budgets. 

Using satellite imagery and remote-sensing technology, Solstice has developed and verified a desktop wetland pre-assessment process that produces a highly accurate prediction of both wetland extent and classification without requiring a field visit. This approach greatly facilitates pre-planning and mitigates the cost associated with early planning stages. It also reduces costs for final planning as field efforts for mandatory ABWRET and WAIR reports can be spatially-focused based on high-resolution mapping.  

What is Next?

Connect with Solstice to learn more about how we can support your organization in your wetland mapping efforts. If you are looking for an innovative approach that requires less time and greater efficiency, this service may be the perfect fit for you.