Case Study: Hakai Institute maps Canadian eelgrass and kelp ecosystems with Pix4D

Mapping an ecosystem: Canadian eelgrass and kelp

Hakai Institute, a Canadian scientific research organization focused on long-term ecological monitoring in coastal British Columbia, needed a better way to understand rapidly changing nearshore ecosystems such as eelgrass meadows and kelp forests. Working with Pix4D and its Pix4Dmapper software, the team used drone mapping to capture detailed imagery of the McMullin Islands and create a high-resolution view of this fragile environment.

Pix4D helped Hakai Institute fly two UAV surveys from a boat at low tide, collecting 415 images over about 4.5 km² and processing them into a 3D point cloud and 2D orthomosaic. The resulting maps clearly showed seagrass and kelp extents, provided a baseline for future monitoring, and reduced field and standby costs by enabling rapid, on-demand flights with just short weather windows.

Hakai Institute

Will McInnes

IT Specialist