MRRI’s GIS division welcomed the members of NJGF for the nonprofit’s general fall meeting in the morning of October 2nd. The meeting was followed by a boat tour that took adventurous members, wanting to connect firsthand with the region’s geospatial and ecological context, on a 90-minute ride in the Hackensack River Estuary.
The New Jersey Geospatial Forum (NJGF) fosters a collaborative environment for professionals to exchange knowledge and address challenges in the geospatial field. The Forum engages individuals from many different sectors in discussions surrounding geospatial technologies and their impacts on New Jersey’s environmental and urban landscapes.
MRRI’s GIS specialists—Brian Wlodawski, Christopher Blackley, Eric Manke—and environmental scientist Dr. Ildiko C. Pechmann all gave presentations, with Dr. Francisco Artigas, MRRI’s Chief Scientist, delivering the opening remarks and greetings.
Mr. Wlodawski opened the conversation with a comprehensive overview of the Meadowlands District’s natural history, the NJSEA’s and MRRI’s respective roles in preserving the delicate balance between conserving its natural wetlands and waterways and the increasing demand for development due to the estuary’s close proximity to the New York metropolitan area. The two presentations that followed highlighted two of MRRI’s core GIS programs. Eric Manke introduced MRRI’s drone program, highlighting case studies that support ongoing conservation, regulatory, and planning initiatives. Christopher Blackley spoke about how important is to understand the estuary’s hydrology and geomorphology for effective flood risk management and showcased HEC-RAS’s (developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers) modeling capability in this highly fragmented urban setting.
In wrapping up the presentation, Dr. Pechmann discussed case studies that portrayed the innovative approaches MRRI’s GIS group adopted to aid the NJSEA in its mandate to balance development and environmental sustainability in the urban estuary of the Hackensack River.
