EMM Consulting Pty Ltd (EMM) have been trialling the use of drones to streamline and enhance Malleefowl* baseline monitoring surveys by utilising a variety of drone sensors to locate and identify potential malleefowl mounds, reducing the time spent by field teams in traversing large swaths of land.

The EMM Consulting GIS specialists will present the approach, outcomes and learnings of applying this new technology to traditionally manually intensive survey work. *Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) – ground-dwelling Australian bird listed as endangered in NSW, critically endangered in NT (likely extinct), and vulnerable in VIC, WA and SA. Commonwealth legislation lists the Malleefowl as a vulnerable species.

Meet the speakers

Katie Diver | Associate Ecologist / Technical Leader, Ecology

Katie is a Technical Lead in EMM's ecology team, with over 19 years industry experience across eastern Australia. She works on major projects across the renewable energy, mining, extractive, infrastructure, and property development sectors. Katie is an experienced practitioner in the development of threatened species monitoring programs, biodiversity development assessment and stewardship site assessment. Katie has a keen interest in the application of emerging spatial technology to assess and monitor biodiversity, regularly using LiDAR and remote sensing data to more accurately and efficiently map native vegetation, build models that identify groundwater dependent ecosystems, and more recently to identify Malleefowl mounds.

Marty Rocks | Chief Remote Pilot / Associate GIS Analyst

Marty is a GIS specialist with over 15 years experience across GIS technology and platforms. He began his career in Belfast, Ireland where he was involved in large infrastructure, social impact, and cultural domain projects before moving to Australia in 2010.

Working as a GIS consultant for a multi-disciplinary consultancy and then as project manager in construction, he returned his focus to GIS in 2019, where he has since accrued experience across the mineral and resources sectors, utilities, and renewables, as well as working for Native Title corporations and Pilbara ranger groups on a myriad of land management initiatives, promoting the benefits of participatory GIS and extoling the use of drones as a complementary tool for land and environment management and monitoring.

Chris Johnson | Associate GIS Analyst

Chris is a GIS analyst with 20+ years’ experience working in the geospatial industry across surveying and GIS disciplines. He has extensive experience providing GIS support in the planning and design of linear infrastructure and mining projects and the key role spatial plays in supporting the collection, management and sharing of geospatial information across multidiscipline project teams. He has provided specialist support using remote sensing for mangrove mapping in Pilbara, and chart production for airborne lidar bathymetry projects. As a RePL-qualified pilot he applies his extensive expertise in spatial technology and systems to offer a holistic solution across a diverse range of projects.

This event will run off Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) and will be recorded for those unable to make the live event.

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