4DM awarded contract for the development of a National Guide on the Acquistion of Airborne LiDAR Data
We are pleased to announce that 4DM has been contracted to coordinate the development of a National Guide on the Acquisition of Airborne LiDAR Data. Airborne LiDAR has become or is becoming a primary source of elevation data for applications in flood risk mapping, infrastructure mapping, forestry, and for assembling nationwide topographic dataset across Canada. Over the years various LiDAR actors in Canada have developed their own standards and specifications for data acquisition. The absence of common national guidelines often leads to lack of uniformity in collected data, which becomes especially apparent when integrating data across jurisdictions or projects.
The goal of the project, awarded by the Canadian Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) of Natural Resources Canada, is to update, revise and finalize the current draft National Guidelines by leveraging the standards, specifications, guidelines and best practices for acquisition of airborne LiDAR data available in Canada and internationally. Our vision for developing the LiDAR guidelines is to provide a primary reference source for governments, commercial organizations, NGOs and researchers involved in the planning, acquisition, and use of airborne LiDAR data, thus facilitating a more harmonized and standardized approach for acquiring LiDAR datasets across the country. It is envisioned that the Guidelines will contain common industry-neutral specifications, while considering unique requirements for different vertical application areas, such as forestry, floodplain or coastal zone mapping.
Key to the development of guidelines will be the input of the LiDAR user community across the country. As part of this project we plan to engage experts, decision makers, data providers and users in a manner that is inclusive and collaborative, in order to gather input for and shape the content of the guidelines. This collaboration will be achieved through several means, including: engaging the provincial and territorial governments on their current specifications, best practices and requirements; conducting a National Meeting in Ottawa in January of 2017 with the LiDAR user community to present findings and propose direction for the new guidelines; and soliciting user comments on the draft guidelines.
4DM developing innovative river flow forecasting system for northern environments
A “made in Canada” solution is at hand for monitoring reservoir inflows, forecasting changing river conditions and, potentially, predicting floods in northern environments. 4DM Inc. is developing a web-based system to provide water managers with a tool for forecasting river flows.
Co-funded by LOOKNorth, a Canadian national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research that fosters remote sensing innovation to support responsible development of northern resources, 4DM is conducting a project to bring together, within a turnkey system, satellite remote sensing data for snowpack information, numerical weather prediction data and in-situ sensor data as input for a distributed hydrological model (WATFLOOD). The hydrological model, WATFLOOD, was developed by the University of Waterloo and is currently used by Environment Canada, Manitoba Hydro, Ontario Power Generation, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and others in water resources sector. The process is being automated within a technology environment as an information service to decision makers involved in water management and analysis.
The project scope includes research, design, development, testing and implementation of the system within a Northern Ontario watershed. The system, HydrologiX II, will provide a five-day forecast for water managers on a daily basis. Initially created as a data service to support scheduling of operations for hydroelectric production, HydrologiX II can be used as an information source for water budgeting, environmental flow analysis, climate change monitoring and flood risk analysis for both gauged and ungauged watersheds. The system improves on current technology through automation, by providing easy access to information through web services and by incorporating information on current and future watershed conditions. HydrologiX II will enable better management of flows and levels along river systems, particularly at times of high inflow such as spring thaw, and will improve situation awareness of changing river conditions.
HydrologiX II is expected to be operational by June 2014, with operational beta-testing and ongoing enhancements continuing throughout the year.
4DM provided spatial modeling to support Canada’s next generation weather radar network
The infrastructure of the current Canadian weather radar network is aging. As a result, it is encountering more frequent operational problems. In addition, there is a need for additional coverage, as well as a need for more advance radar systems in areas experiencing severe weather and northern regions of Canada to improve now-casting data and information. Today, Environment Canada, through Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), maintains 31 sites across Canada and is currently undergoing a renewal project.
In support of their radar renewal activities, 4DM provided technical services and performed a needs analysis to determine coverage gap areas across Canada, and offered options and recommendations to MSC for the strategic planning and design of the next generation of their weather radar network. The project involved conducting weather radar user requirements, thematic spatial data development, and applying a multi-criteria analytical model to create a needs index to help prioritize potential new radar sites locations and modifications to the existing locations at a macro-scale
4DM, with SENES, was selected by the CCEG to identify and evaluate potential electric transmission corridors from Red Lake to 4 Keewaytinook Okimakanak member First Nations communities
The Central Corridor Energy Group (CCEG), comprised of 14 First Nations communities, is focused on the development of power transmission and green energy projects in northwestern Ontario on behalf of its members. CCEG is interested in identifying and assessing potential corridor options for a 115kV transmission line that would connect the Red Lake transmission node to 4 Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) member communities in remote areas of northwestern Ontario.
4DM, in partnership with SENES Consultants Ltd., has been selected by CCEG to identify, analyze, and evaluate potential corridors from Red Lake to 4 KO First Nations member communities. 4DM is using a numerical spatial routing model to optimize a corridor path based on available data and input from CCEG as well as affected community members. The modeling is a consensus approach accounting for opportunities and constraints to determine a least impact corridor. These results will be utilized as a starting point for the environmental assessment planning.
4DM contracted to perform hyperspectral land classification to support hydrological modeling in the City of Surrey, BC
The City of Surrey acquired hyperspectral data using the Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) to support land surface classification for municipal transportation project and surface runoff determination, whereby hyperspectral imagery provides unique spectral signatures needed to differentiate between a variety of land covers.
4DM utilized a semi–automated process to identify the pervious (i.e. grass lawns, parks, forest, agriculture, etc.) and impervious (e.g. asphalt, concrete/gravel, etc.) areas. In conjunction with the hyperspectral imagery, a combination of available vector mapping data, orthoimagery, and processed LiDAR digital surface model was used to apply classification techniques using software tools such as LiDAR Analyst, QT Modeler, ArcGIS, and ENVI/IDL software.
4DM completed development of satellite based object motion mapping application
4DM was awarded financial support from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to extract the speed, trajectory, position, area, and counts of moving objects (e.g. vehicles) from a single-pass high resolution satellite image for a variety of applications, such as transportation planning and coastal surveillance. The work involved translating the developed mathematical algorithms into a software application that can be interfaced with third-party software tools for future licensing. The model has been completed and validated for a selected study area using different satellite images and available traffic information achieving a speed detection of ± 5 km/h.
4DM and Synthesis Network Ltd. contracted to map the agri-food supply chain network within Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe boasts rich agricultural land, a moderate climate and abundant fresh water resources. In response to this wealth of opportunities, as well as the unique challenges for agriculture in the face of rapid urban population growth, the Greater Toronto Area Agricultural Action Committee, the Region of Niagara, and the City of Hamilton in partnership with the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation released a 10-year plan — Food and Farming: An Action Plan 2021. This action plan provides recommendations for supporting and expanding a thriving, integrated food and farming sector in the Golden Horseshoe. To ensure the implementation of this action plan, the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance (GHFFA) was formed in 2012.
4DM and Synthesis Network Ltd. have been contracted by GHFFA to assemble an asset map of the agri-food supply chain in the Golden Horseshoe which will include producers, processors, and distributors, as well as marketing infrastructure, research centers, and service industry. The maps will assist providing GHFFA awareness of the depth of the agri-food supply chain in Golden Horseshoe and the data to conduct the economic analysis of the existing assets and identify gaps within the food and farming cluster of the region.
4DM and SENES contracted by MECC to study mitigating erosional impacts related to Adam Creek
The Lower Mattagami River Complex (LMRC) consists of four hydroelectric stations that historically have been providing base and peak electricity production for the Ontario electrical grid. As a part of this system, Adam Creek is used as a necessary spillway corridor to offset the passage of dangerous flows through the four associated generating stations for safety reasons. Unfortunately, diverting high peak volumes and velocity flows through Adam Creek has reshaped its physiography, including the Mattagami River confluence, as a result of severe erosion.
4DM and SENES were contracted by the Mattagami Extensions Coordinating Committee (MECC) to assess potential mitigative measures that could reduce the impacts to the downstream environment associated with releasing high flows into Adam Creek. Potential solutions will be qualitatively assessed and evaluated. It is anticipated that no single solution will resolve all of the existing issues, but that it will be a combination of comprehensive monitoring solutions, preventive intervention, and mitigation measures that will lead to a reduction in erosion along Adam Creek.
4DM, with SENES, was selected to identify and evaluate potential hydro electric transmission corridors from Pickle Lake to 10 CCEG member First Nations communities
The Central Corridor Energy Group (CCEG), comprised of 14 First Nations communities, is focused on the development of power transmission and green energy projects in northwestern Ontario on behalf of its members. CCEG is interested in identifying and assessing potential corridor options for a 115kV/44kV transmission line that would connect the upgraded Pickle Lake transmission node to 10 of its member communities in remote areas of northwestern Ontario.
4DM, in partnership with SENES Consultants Ltd., has been selected by CCEG to identify, analyze, and evaluate potential corridors from Pickle Lake to a preliminary group of 10 First Nations member communities. 4DM is using a numerical spatial routing model to optimize a corridor path based on available data and input from CCEG. The modeling is a consensus approach accounting for opportunities and constraints to determine a least impact corridor. These results will be utilized as a starting point for the environmental assessment planning.
4DM and Airborne Imaging awarded contract to acquire and process elevation data for TRCA hydraulic modeling projects
The accuracy of topographic data is critical as it is a determining factor in the hydraulic modeling of the flood plain extents. The flood plain line is a component of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) regulation policy and must be kept current. In areas where the flood plain is difficult to map using the TRCA standard 1-D modeling approach, a more complex 2-D analysis must be used. Elevation data acquired from LiDAR and DEM sources are best suited for use with the software that the TRCA intends to use to model the selected spill zones in its jurisdiction.
4DM will be responsible for hydrologically flattening and enforcing the LiDAR elevation data acquired by Airborne Imaging that will be used by the TRCA to model selected spill zones in its jurisdiction. This post-processing is required to adjust for discrepancies and inaccuracies in the raw LiDAR data. The TRCA will use the processed LiDAR data to create a DEM for modeling purposes whereby the raw data may not adequately define the natural drainage pattern of the study area. The 4DM team will use their operational set of tools to efficiently and accurately hydrologically flattened and enforce the raw LiDAR data to properly define the downward drainage pathways and shorelines for TRCA modeling projects.