How aerial imagery helps protect natural resources

Photo: Lake County Forest Preserves

An upcoming GPS World webinar shows how high-definition aerial imagery can help protect and maintain natural resources.

In Transforming Land and Asset Management with HD Aerial Imagery, four
mapping experts discuss how Lake County Forest Preserves of Illinois uses HD aerial imagery to manage and track changes.

The webinar, sponsored by Nearmap, takes place June 25 at 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT / 7 p.m. (1900h) Central European Time. Registration is free.

Managing and protecting the nearly 31,000 acres of the preserves is no small task, so the ability to see the environment at scale in crystal-clear clarity is a must. Aerial imagery provides an “eye in the sky” to get better context of truth on the ground.

Lake County Forest Preserves uses Nearmap aerial imagery to:

• monitor and track change over time with historical and current captures
• assess and address invasive species growth with high-resolution imagery
• manage remote work challenges during COVID-19 to locate assets.

Joining Brett Clark of Nearmap are three experts from Lake County Forest Preserves.

Nick Spittlemeister
GIS Analyst, Planning and Land Preservation Dept.
Lake County Forest Preserves District (IL)

Nick Spittlemeister has been with Lake County Forest Preserves since 2016, working to create an enterprise solution that employs web GIS in all facets of the organization. He helped the district secure a license with Nearmap in 2018 and has deployed it across their GIS system, from Desktop software to web applications and native apps. He has been using GIS for more than 15 years and holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Northern Michigan University.

Dave Cassin
Manager of Landscape Ecology
Lake County Forest Preserves District (IL)

David Cassin’s remote sensing training began in the US Navy (1990-94) where he was trained as an Intelligence Specialist / Air Photo Interpreter, put into practice during Operation Desert Shield / Storm. Post military service, he continued his craft in college with incorporation of ArcGIS. He combined his skillset and his love of nature by getting a degree in Natural Resource Management. Integrating remote sensing skills into landscape scale restoration projects by utilizing historical air photos and land survey data, he is able to determine historic land uses and alterations. Specific to Nearmap, he was able to map populations of Phragmites australis (an invasive species in Illinois) by utilizing the fall 2019 Nearmap imagery remotely during the COVID-19 stay at home order.

Kevin Kleinjan
Senior Engineer
Lake County Forest Preserves District (IL)

Kevin has utilized aerial imagery and geospatial technologies for over 25 years to inform and support planning and infrastructure related decisions. He utilizes Nearmap’s high-resolution imagery with multiple captures throughout a calendar year to analyze and update infrastructure assets quickly and accurately from both the office, and in the field using mobile devices. This enables him to efficiently manage the District’s sign shop, site amenity and heavy equipment crews. He has dual degree in Landscape Architecture and Geography from South Dakota State University and is a Registered Landscape Architect in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Brett Clark
Senior Account Executive
Nearmap
Brett graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in communications. He was employee #2 for Nearmap, U.S., and focuses primarily on serving the public sector – both state and local. Brett lives in the Indianapolis area with his wife and three daughters.

Register for the free webinar here.