Where It's At: Mapping Alaska is good business.

• Author: Palmer, Hillary

Alaska is big and remote, so it's no surprise that it lags the rest of the country in the accuracy and detail of its maps. Mapping can be expensive, but the good news is that mapping in Alaska has taken a huge leap forward over the last decade, benefiting the Alaska public, government, and private sector businesses, such as the resource development industry.

It was just ten years ago that pilots in Alaska were at risk of being forbidden to fly by instrument. The best available elevation data at that time was generated in the '60s using older methods which sometimes resulted in mountains being out of place by a half mile or more. This posed serious risks to aviation safety and other industries that require accurate information. The State of Alaska initiated an effort to create an accurate digital basemap of the entire state.

This effort, which would eventually become the Alaska Geospatial Council (AGO, was initially a partnership among state and federal agencies to acquire statewide, high-resolution satellite imagery and digital elevation data. This data acquisition was no simple task. The state government worked with Dewberry to host a series of workshops, which enabled partners and stakeholders to reach consensus on issues, such as data resolution and which type of sensor to use. The state then coordinated with federal agencies to contract with several companies, including Dewberry, to start collecting the imagery and elevation data. This new data provided the foundation for building a statewide geospatial data infrastructure, where other mapping data--such as wetlands, vegetation, and transportation--can be stored, maintained, and accessed by everyone.

The AGC serves as a framework for the coordination and collaboration of mapping-related activities. The AGC executive board is chaired by Alaska's Geospatial Information Officer Leslie Jones and includes representatives from state and local governments, tribal entities, and federal agencies. Overall, the AGC is helping improve Alaska's spatial data infrastructure by coordinating mapping activities and fostering collaboration at all levels, all of which benefit the resource development sector.

Mapping Natural Resources

For preliminary feasibility assessments, this new elevation and imagery data is great, but site planning and permitting for natural resource development projects need higher resolution data. Knowing where to find existing data or how to leverage funding partnerships could...