Environmental assessment with Emlid and ArcGIS apps: minimize errors and workload

Environmental assessment consultants are required to work accurately and always in compliance with federal regulations. For Ryan Gay, a GIS and remote sensing project manager, that challenge is a daily reality. Ryan’s team supports oil and gas infrastructure development through preconstruction environmental assessments. With the help of Emlid Reach RX and Esri ArcGIS apps, they’ve transformed their workflows to meet rigorous standards and save time in the process.

Meet the experts behind the maps

Ryan manages GIS operations at Whitenton Group, a firm that helps ensure oil and gas pipeline projects comply with environmental laws and regulations. His job includes managing and analyzing spatial data that Whitenton Group’s field teams collect for environmental assessments before construction begins. These assessments include wetland survey and stream delineation as well as special status plant surveys.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires all data to be collected in the NAD83 datum with sub-meter accuracy. For Ryan’s team, that means getting reliable, repeatable data down to about one foot (30 cm). He chose the Emlid Reach RX GNSS receiver to meet those needs, without the complexity or cost of traditional survey gear.

Mapping wetlands and streams with Reach and ArcGIS apps

One of the key responsibilities of Whitenton Group is determining how a proposed project would impact Waters of the U.S. Any disturbance to federally protected features that requires permitting would need spatially accurate data as required by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. Any disturbance to these features requires permits and clear documentation, which means accurate spatial data is non-negotiable.

Check Ryan’s workflow with Reach and ArcGIS apps.

1. Start with the footprint: Ryan receives the proposed construction area as a GIS file, usually a Shapefile or KMZ.
   
2. Create a buffer: A natural resource survey area is created by buffering the project footprint (50-200 ft) in ArcGIS Pro.
   
3. Build the map: Ryan publishes the dataset to ArcGIS Online, creating a data collection layer styled specifically for the waters of the US.
   
4. Field collection: Field crews use RX units to collect line and polygon data to reflect the stream ordinary high water mark or wetland and waterbody boundaries.
   
5. Post-processing: Back in ArcGIS Pro, Ryan reviews and cleans the data, removes outliers, and clips features outside the buffer.
   
6. Final output: He compiles the cleaned dataset into maps for environmental constraint analysis and federal submission.
   

With Reach RX, field crews collect reliable 1-foot (30 cm) data without relying on correction services, meeting regulatory standards with ease.

Surveying special status plants with real-time data sync

Another critical preconstruction assessment is the special status plant surveys on public lands. These surveys are mandatory if the project area overlaps known or modeled habitats.

Let’s see how the team is doing the adaptive plant surveys.

1. Initial survey: Crews walk transects spaced 20 meters apart within a 100-meter buffer zone around the proposed pipeline.
2. Positive finding: If a team discovers a protected plant, they create a new 100-meter buffer around it.
3. Refined search: Transects within the new buffer are narrowed to 10 meters apart.
4. Dynamic updates: ArcGIS Field Maps allows Ryan to see new discoveries in real-time and generate updated transects from the office.
5. Reporting: After all, once the survey is complete, they use findings and photos to create a formal report for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

This synchronized workflow helps avoid delays and ensures mitigation strategies are in place if sensitive species are identified within 30 meters of the construction footprint.

Accurate LiDAR surveys in vegetated areas

To expand their environmental assessment insights, Ryan’s team supplements their surveys with LiDAR data. Using a DJI M300 drone with a LiDAR sensor and Reach GNSS receivers, they collect high-resolution 3D data for inaccessible or heavily vegetated areas.

• Before the flight: The team places ground control points and measures their coordinates with the Reach RX receiver.
• In the air: A DJI M300 with a LiDAR sensor captures data over the target area.
• On the ground: An Emlid Reach RS2+ base station logs GNSS observation data throughout the flight in a PPK (Post Processing Kinematic) mode.
• Back at the office: Team uses observation data and ground control points (GCPs) in post-processing to achieve 3 cm accuracy.
  

“Emlid products integrate seamlessly with a variety of other tools, and they are much less expensive than other gear on the market,” says Ryan. 

As a result, this combination helps the team model terrain, identify wetlands, and guide restoration efforts, particularly in areas where field crews can’t easily operate.

Fast and synchronized team workflows

Before implementing Emlid Reach RX and ArcGIS Field Maps, Ryan’s team relied on manual coordination. Each field member had to upload and share data at the end of the day, and changes to project footprints required everyone to re-download base layers. This led to duplication, confusion, and lost time.

Now, all team members collect and sync data to the same map in real time. Everyone can see what they have already surveyed, adjust workflows on the fly, and complete long-term surveys more efficiently. Ryan estimates this system has saved the team countless hours in data processing and back-office coordination.

“This workflow has significantly increased our productivity and saved us many man-hours on the back end in data processing and analysis,”  says Ryan.

Power your fieldwork with Emlid

Ryan’s story of environmental assessment is just one example of how Emlid receivers can upgrade surveying projects. Whether you’re doing wetland surveys, identifying special status plants, or other environmental GIS jobs, Reach receivers help deliver reliable cm-accuracy data, reduce manual effort, and ensure compliance every step of the way.

Ready to improve your environmental data collection?