Meet Chris Johnson, Associate GIS Analyst and Remote Pilot
Introducing Chris, Associate GIS Analyst and Remote Pilot at EMM. Chris's journey into drone technology began with his interests in aviation and photography, which he skillfully combined with his GIS analysis expertise. With a background in GIS and surveying, Chris has developed a keen interest in aerial surveying and drone technology. At EMM, he leverages high-resolution data and advanced spatial technology to enhance environmental monitoring and surveying projects. Join us as Chris shares his experiences, the role of spatial technology in his work, and his vision for the future of drones in environmental analysis.
Could you share a bit about your background and experience as a drone pilot and what inspired you to become involved in drone technology and aerial surveying?
I have been flying drones personally for a couple of years which combines my interests in aviation and photography. I completed my remote pilot (RePL) training last year which brings together those interests together with my GIS analysis professional skills.
I have been interested in aerial surveying ever since studying photogrammetry at university as a part of my degree in GIS, and my first job after graduating was working as a hydrographic surveyor for Tenix LADS using LiDAR to collect bathymetry data. Since then, I have worked with surveyors and aerial surveying specialists over the years who delivered high resolution aerial imagery and 3D models. While working around these specialists I developed a keen interest in aerial surveying and drone technology, enabling me to combine these skills and interests on environmental projects as part of my everyday work is really exciting.
What role does spatial technology play in your work, and how does it complement the use of drones?
As a GIS analyst who uses spatial data on a daily basis, drones allow us the ability to collect high resolution data efficiently and cost-effectively. This allows us to have access to the best quality and most recent spatial information available which makes our work easier.
What do you see as the future of drone technology in environmental monitoring and surveying, and how is EMM positioning itself to lead in this evolving landscape?
Drone technology allows us to improve data collection and makes it possible to use high resolution imagery, LiDAR, thermal and multispectral data on smaller projects where costs previously made this not feasible. Making these technologies accessible will make drones part of our everyday workflow on projects which will provide more data to support environmental analysis.
Can you walk us through a project you've worked on recently, highlighting how drone technology was utilised and the insights it provided?
The most recent drone project I worked on was for aerial imagery capture for vegetation mapping near Boree Creek in NSW. We were able to capture imagery at two sites within a day and process the imagery in the field to enable the ecologists to determine if a particular vegetation type was present.
In what ways do drone mapping and surveying services bridge the gap between ground truthing and satellite imaging for your clients?
Drone and satellite imagery have different capabilities and the best technology depends on what you are trying to achieve for the project application. Drones are relatively low cost, can be deployed to the field quickly and allow us to work alongside technical teams which allow us to adapt the imagery and data capture to achieve better results. Drones provide higher resolution data which provides more detail.
Satellite imagery capture large areas and have sensors which have been designed for specific applications in environmental monitoring, agriculture, urban planning and natural disaster response.
EMM emphasises a one-stop-shop approach for data capture, analysis, and processing. How does this benefit clients, and what efficiencies does it bring to the project workflow?
For our spatial solutions team, having the one-stop-shop approach allows us to thoroughly plan data collection projects to ensure we have the best possible data for analysis and deliverables. Having this understanding of the whole data processing pipeline ensures we plan our data capture thoroughly taking into account local conditions including the seasonal variation, time of day, weather conditions, vegetation density and topography.
Beyond the spatial solutions team, integration of our drone services with other technical specialists allows us to adapt data collection in the field to ensure the technical teams have the best data available to undertake analysis, and potentially reduce the amount of time required in the field.
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Connect with Chris
Chris Johnson
Associate GIS Analyst and Remote Pilot
cjohnson@emmconsulting.com.au
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