Name: Beyond the Map: Immersive 360 Degree Imagery and Drone Mapping for Stream Restoration in the South Puget Sound
Start: 2026-05-21T14:30:00-0700
End: 2026-05-21T15:00:00-0700

Beyond the Map: Immersive 360 Degree Imagery and Drone Mapping for Stream Restoration in the South Puget Sound

Thursday May 21, 2026 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT

407-408

The success of a stream restoration project often depends on how well stakeholders can “see” the vision. Yet a persistent gap exists between restoration engineers and surveyors, and the grant funders, project partners, and communities they support. Static maps and survey notes rarely convey real-world conditions in a way that is accessible to everyone, making it difficult to fully grasp site conditions and restoration outcomes. While drone-based mapping provides high-resolution spatial coverage and critical context, canopy occlusion, shadowing, and water-surface artifacts can obscure in-channel complexity.

This presentation introduces a workflow that integrates georeferenced 360-degree imagery with drone photogrammetry to bridge that gap. By linking immersive, ground-level perspectives with orthomosaics and elevation models, users move beyond “paper fish” (on a flat map) to “real fish,” providing a tangible, on-the-ground sense of how restoration sites function. Our process combines RTK GNSS surveying, UAV photogrammetry, and oriented imagery datasets, allowing users to seamlessly transition from high-level spatial analysis to “virtual boots-on-the-ground” views while highlighting channel conditions, habitat features, and project performance over time.

Examples from South Puget Sound (WRIAs 10–15) demonstrate how this approach supports restoration monitoring, virtual site visits, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The workflow enhances both technical analysis and communication, making complex spatial data more intuitive and accessible to diverse audiences.

Speakers

Alex Arams

GIS Analyst, Fish Biologist, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

Alex Arams is a GIS Analyst and fisheries field biologist with the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group (SPSSEG) in Olympia, WA. With nine years of experience in salmonid habitat assessment and restoration, he integrates drone mapping, UAV photogrammetry, RTK GNSS surveying... Read More →

Thursday May 21, 2026 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
407-408

Remote Sensing, Stream Restoration

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2026 WA GIS Conference

Alex Arams

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2026 WA GIS Conference

Alex Arams

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