The Information Management and GIS group of Royal Haskoning comprises a dedicated team of information technology specialists.  The expertise offered is based on practical experience gained through almost twenty years of implementing solutions both in-house and for our wide ranging and diverse client base. 

GIS has the capability of enhancing projects in a variety of different aspects, from simple map production through to advanced modelling techniques.

There are many problems that arise when handling digital data for projects.  We regularly deal with these issues and are experienced in providing a quality controlled seamless digital product to the client.  Some frequently occurring problems are:

• Data sourcing
• Data in a variety of formats
• Different projections of datasets (OS National Grid, WGS84)
• OS and Admiralty coastline variations
• OS Positional Accuracy Improvement (PAI)
• Data accuracy
• Data currency
• Data copyright issues

With the functionality of the GIS we are able to provide cartographic services to create a diverse range of maps at different levels of complexity and scale.  This could involve the creation of a simple location map showing a proposed development, e.g. wind farm or port facility, through to a more complex series of maps highlighting different topic areas or themes.  This could be beneficial for indicating areas of environmental sensitivity or to display neighbouring activities that may impact on a future development.

We also have a varied track record in the terrestrial and marine environments capturing raw data that has been collected in the field from activities such as bird surveys or habitat mapping (paper drawings or GPS co-ordinates).  This data is then analysed and processed so it can be represented digitally along with other features for statistical calculations or map outputs.

Using the analytical tools we are able to carry out spatial computations to assess the value of one area over another when investigating site suitability.  This can take into account numerous factors and be applied in many environments both land based and offshore and we have experience in applying this expertise to projects such as marine spatial planning and site selection.

Through the use of the modelling capabilities we can predict scenarios to aid decision making where future events or actions may alter current surroundings.  This has been applied to some of our previous projects involving flood mapping and river catchment analysis.  Periodic changes in beach profiles or altering seabed levels can be calculated to determine the volume of material lost or required using cut/fill analysis.  We can also undertake other forms of spatial analysis such as evaluating spheres of influence for use in travel/distance assessments, as well as viewshed analysis which identifies elements within the line of site of a fixed vantage point.  These are just a few examples of the many tools and processes that make GIS invaluable for enhancing project deliverables.

We can produce a wide variety of outputs such as paper maps, digital charts, statistical reports, 3D simulations, and customised GIS applications.  The flexibility within the GIS allows the user to overlay CAD drawings and link through to other applications such as Excel and Access.  We can also source and provide various scales of OS mapping and admiralty charts which can offer effective backdrops to your data.

In terms of specific technical capabilities, the primary software we use is ArcGIS Desktop (ArcInfo/ArcView) including extensions, and MapInfo.  We also have experience of CadCorp and GeoMedia as well as various open source GIS software.  Using our programming experience we are able to create customised GIS tools which make it possible to automate several processing tasks therefore reducing time and repetitive actions.  In addition to this we can create web-based GIS applications which provide a useful way of targeting an audience for marketing, providing public information, and for downloading data.

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