Case Study: Strategic Natural Resource Consultants improves oil spill cleanup response with Wingtra drone mapping

Drone oil spill survey offers first-of-its-kind view for cleanup

Strategic Natural Resource Consultants, based in British Columbia, were called to assess a major fuel oil spill on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands after a cyclone caused a bulk carrier to crack on a reef near a UNESCO World Heritage site. The team needed to survey steep shoreline terrain with limited takeoff and landing space, strong winds, and a need for fast, defensible shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) mapping. WingtraOne, using a Sony QX1 camera, was brought in to support the response.

Wingtra’s WingtraOne enabled about ten flights to map roughly 5 km of shoreline at 2.5 cm GSD, producing high-resolution orthomosaics and GIS-ready outputs that improved situational awareness, stakeholder communication, and cleanup prioritization. The drone’s VTOL capability and wind resilience made it effective in tight, exposed conditions, helping Strategic Natural Resource Consultants deliver better SCAT maps and a first-of-its-kind drone survey for this stage of spill response.

Strategic Natural Resource Consultants

Mike Morellato

RPAS Specialist, Geomatics