In this podcast we explore how wetland managers and scientists are utilizing GIS tools and field applications to monitor and delineate wetlands more efficiently. We take a look at how consulting companies prepare their GIS basemaps in ArcGIS, collects their wetland and geospatial data in Ecobot, and then create a final map and report to submit to the US Army Corps of Engineers for a JD. Also, we learn about the exciting workflow enhancement of wetland geospatial data between the field and office in ArcGIS Field Maps.

Host:
Jeremy Schewe, PWS, Chief Scientific Officer, Ecobot

Presenters & Panelists:
Doug Morgenthaler, Program Manager, Esri
Kelly Gonzales Brezovar, PWS, Team Lead + Senior Environmental Scientist, Hollaway Environmental
Ally Altemose, PWS, Director of Environmental Services, Hollaway Environmental
Kasey Clarke, Environmental Scientist, Hollaway Environmental
Christopher Garza, GIS Specialist & Environmental Scientist, Hollaway Environmental

Topics:
GIS and field apps for wetland delineations, assessments, and monitoring
Workflow of consultants for more efficient delineation and reporting process
Transmission of data between the field and office
How cutting-edge companies are thriving on the new ecosystem of GIS software, GNSS receivers, and field applications
Workflow enhancement of wetland delineations with ArcGIS Field Maps

More from Jeremy:
As an ecologist conducting wetlands delineations, threatened & endangered species surveys, and baseline ecological inventories for over 18 years around the world, I have been able to avoid the rise of tech for many years more than people in most other professions, due to the lack of quality tools available to environmental scientists. It is the 21st century, however, and the wheel of innovation is rolling through every profession, including earth sciences.

In this podcast, we discuss how it is essential that tech be simple, intuitive, and shaped by scientists. We need technology that wraps and enhances our existing methodologies and protocols. Our shared vision as scientists is that good technology should be almost invisible and is not simply a transference of inefficiency from one process to another. The wrong kind of technology just adds to the stresses of balancing conservation and monitoring with permitting and state and federal changes in the legal jurisdiction of water bodies.

Data collection and analysis are the foundation for the creation of knowledge, and knowledge leads to the protection of our natural resources while enabling economic progress. The right kind of technology gets out of the scientist’s way and allows for a greater percentage of attention and focus on the creation of this critical knowledge. In this webinar series, we discuss technology trends in the wetland science community from GPS collectors, field equipment, drones, data collection applications, digitization of the regulatory review process, with the goal-setting a high bar of expectations for new technologies that are becoming part of our everyday workflows.

The Ecobot Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence.