Coastal Change Analysis Conducted in Wake of Hurricane Matthew

The Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise deployed WMR-532, a joint venture of Woolpert and Optimal Geo, to collect lidar and imagery using state-of-the-art government coastal mapping sensors as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' emergency response effort.

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Woolpert

Feb 06, 2017, 08:05 ET

KILN, Miss., Feb. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The joint venture of Woolpert and Optimal Geo, WMR-532, was contracted by the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) to acquire bathymetric and topographic lidar and imagery using state-of-the-art, government-owned coastal mapping sensors for the affected East Coast regions and to provide final data in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

JALBTCX supports and leverages work in government, industry and academics to advance airborne bathymetric lidar, coastal mapping, charting technology and applications.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) coastal scientists analyzed the data to quantify the coastal change caused by Hurricane Matthew, which ravaged Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas before making landfall in the U.S. on Oct. 8.

"WMR-532 is supporting the JALBTCX mission of producing the data needed to study the short- and long-term effects of Hurricane Matthew," said Mark Brooks, Optimal Geo CEO.

The data collected under this contract were compared to data successfully collected along the East Coast in the summer of 2016.

"JALBTCX has current data to utilize and, as Matthew was the first major storm since that last acquisition, this project will provide exceptionally precise, post-storm coastal change analysis," said John Gerhard, Woolpert program director and vice president.

In a very short, four-week time frame, WMR-532 collected bathymetric and topographic lidar and imagery data for the shorelines of five states—Florida through Virginia—and processed data on site to provide a quick turnaround for immediate use in change analysis by USACE scientists.

About Woolpert
Woolpert is a 106-year-old architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. The firm has 23 offices nationwide and serves the needs of federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces.

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