Digital mapping of SVG expected to provide high quality data

The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project is teaming up with the non-profit organisation This is PLACE to carry out digital mapping of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). At the launch of the exercise on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, it was disclosed that the mapping will begin in a matter of days and run through to January, 2025.

They will be using a new surveying method that involves a special fixed-wing drone that can take off vertically. This will help the Lands and Surveys Department, lodged in the Ministry of Transport, to make assessments and simplify land transactions.

PLACE U.S., whose aim is to improve modern mapping practices, will aid in digital mapping, and Frank Pichel, a partner at PLACE Trust, highlighted that as a small island developing state, SVG faces various challenges such as climate change, rapid urban growth, increased development, and growing tourism.

“Nowhere in the world are these pressures felt more acutely than small island states,” he said.

Pichel outlined that improving environmental data is crucial for tackling challenges related to planning and managing disasters in the country, and noted that while private companies are capturing satellite images, the government often isn’t involved.

Unfortunately, he said these images can be inaccurate in terms of location, which creates problems for government efforts.

To address this issue, PLACE will focus on collecting detailed, high-resolution data that the government can access and use effectively.

“We’re actually collecting the aerial imagery, but also street view data,” said Pichel, adding that it will be able to capture at 10cm per pixel, as compared to satellite imagery which is usually around 30-60cm.

“So a significant improvement which is critical in a place with tight boundaries, steep slopes etc,” Pichel noted.

Street view data will be gathered in the upcoming weeks using a large camera attached to a vehicle that will move through various communities.

“So I’m looking forward to some long days and some car sickness,” Pitchel quipped.

To date, PLACE U.S. has carried out similar mapping projects for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Anguilla (which was done earlier this year), in Africa, and Tuvalu.

Pitchel expressed enthusiasm about gathering data,but recognized that the land management unit in the Lands and Surveys Department has different plans. They are hopeful about collaborating to implement those plans.

The drone technology they are using is said to be more cost-effective and of superior quality compared to what was done in 2007 when a large aircraft was used by a regional enterprise, and said to have cost the government several hundred thousand dollars. In comparison, the fixed-wing drone cost to government of SVG has been placed at approximately $40,000.

To support the drone’s operation, ground control points have been set up. These consist of painted iron stakes surrounded by plywood crosses which have been positioned around the islands as launch sites for the drone.

Chief Surveyor in the Department of Lands and Survey, Keith Francis has appealed to the population not to remove or tamper with the markers to allow for successful completion of the exercise.

Francis explained that these markers are temporary and would deteriorate on their own, however for now, they will be used by the drone to have a geological reference of the photographs it takes. These overlapping images will then be merged to create one, which will be used to prepare the digital map.

“ It is of critical importance that these remain undisturbed so that the photos can be accurate and geo-referenced.”

Francis further detailed that his department will receive new equipment in the coming year, such as; total stations and computers, along with their office environment which has been scheduled for upgrades.

“So great things to come in the new year for the department and the country, and we look forward to being of use and showing what it is lands and surveys department can do to move the country forward,” he concluded.

Over the next couple of days, Vincentians will be able to see the drone which will look like an aeroplane flying at around 2000ft in the air.