Beavers are a protected species. However their burrowing sometimes causes us problems. Burrows have been associated with breaching of flood banking and water impoundments, undermining of infrastructure and collapse of sections of riverbank, impacting on businesses and livelihoods. Entrances to beaver burrows are usually dug below water, which can make detection difficult. A non-invasive method needs to be developed in order to both reliably detect potentially problematic burrows and assess the risk the burrow presents to infrastructure and people . A successful method will help anticipate the risk of problems arising from burrows, allowing targeted mitigation to help us live alongside beavers.

So, how can technology help us detect beaver burrows in the wild and assess their associated risks to public and private interests? 

The Solution

Above water image capture and evidence capture field app along with boat mounted below water sonar technology. This allows mapping and visualisation of the river bed and feature identification. This data is then combined within a website platform for evidence storage, risk assessment and empowered decision making. 

The Opportunity

Being able to map and visualise a river bed from the surface of the water has huge benefits. To create a high resolution point cloud data set allows terrain and structures to become visible and both the location and nature of the features recorded. 

Next Steps

The system will include better integration of data between the various systems. By introducing more data streams into the system, will allow enhanced analysis and more detailed reporting of mapped objects.  

The Team

The team is a collaboration between JBA Consulting and Storm Geomatics. Both companies have a long history of working together on water based risk management related projects, developing and delivering innovation with practical applications.