Wetlands and LiDAR: Skytec Technology Is Mapping Conservation Efforts

Since its inception, Skytec and its founders have been focused on the environment and conservation. Two recent wetlands projects in the region highlight the dramatic innovations and improvements surrounding LiDAR and sensors for mapping conservation efforts and managing the environment.

With the first generation of LiDAR scanners, Skytec was able to see results and improvements from traditional means of mapping rural and remote areas, including wetlands.

“The sensors we carry create hi-res data that you can’t get from any other platform,” says Andy Carroll, CTO of Skytec. “We’re able to do in one day what would have taken two weeks of field surveys using a boat and boots on the ground before the advent of this technology.”

While early iterations of LiDAR scanners provided accurate data, the latest technology, the Riegl VUX-1, provides a better picture of landscapes and greater depth of detail in data. The VUX-1 can fly safely at higher altitudes — up to 400 feet — compared with its predecessor, the Velodyne HDL32E. This can make a world of difference when mapping remote and mountainous areas with complex topographies.

Optimal Remediation Projects: Two Case Studies

A few years ago, Skytec performed baseline mapping for a stream and wetlands site outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Contracted by an environmental engineering firm, Skytec provided data to help the firm evaluate a historical stream channel that had been damaged by heavy agriculture over time, which can lead to erosion and water filtration issues that impair overall water quality.

“We used LiDAR scanners to effectively and efficiently map, analyze data, and redesign a channel to help restore the natural flow and establish the riparian buffer,” Carroll says. “Our data helped inform work that will restore the water quality in this particular system.”

This early survey was performed with the Velodyne and was particularly challenging given the mountainous topography of North Carolina. Fast forward three years — Skytec completed a study for a firm restoring a set of streams and wetlands outside of Dalton, Georgia. The data from this survey will be used to set a baseline of conditions to restore the flow of water into wetlands all around the stream and improve the overall water quality.

Using the VUX-1, Skytec provided a level of depth and detail for this environmental study.

“This was a larger wetland area than the Asheville survey, and it would have been difficult to perform this survey with older technology that is limited by range,” Carroll says. “We were well above any potential obstructions.”

A Positive Impact

Skytec works with engineering and environmental consulting firms that may be part of mitigation banking. According to the EPA, mitigation banking is the preservation or conservation of a wetland or steam to offset or compensate for adverse impacts to other aquatic resources.

“Ultimately, this data can help steer development to the most appropriate places,” Carroll says. “We’re providing a level of detail that helps answer questions about where to build and what to protect, as well as providing follow-up studies to verify that there is no degradation.”

This advanced technology goes beyond just providing detailed maps — the data can be used to influence critical decisions.

“This technology and these projects will play an important role in managing the environment,” Carroll says. “Our challenge is taking the data we collect and packaging it in a way that helps our clients work through key decision points and develop exceptional solutions. I think we have a very bright future in environmental monitoring, and we look forward to continued partnerships like the ones we developed through these stream and wetland projects.”

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