Forestry and Parks - Request for Proposal - Archive Multispectral Very High Spatial Resolution Imagery for the Calgary Forest Area

An accurate understanding of our Provincial Forest resource is foundational to informed resource management decision making. The province’s forested landscapes are affected by industrial activities, wildfires, and pest infestations that often occur over large areas within short periods of time but can also be small-scale and difficult to detect with coarser-resolution imagery, such as Sentinel-2 and Landsat. Very high spatial resolution (VHR) imagery (i.e., better than two metres) is required by the Forest Stewardship and Trade Branch (FSTB) for the mapping and monitoring of forest health, inventory, operations, and reforestation and reclamation post-harvest. With the plethora of satellite imagery now available, the objective of this project is to assess the role of VHR imagery in FSTB business activities, identify where there is potential to improve operational efficiencies, effectiveness, and safety, and determine imagery requirements for the future. Specifically, this project looks to evaluate satellite-based 0.50 metre or better multispectral (minimum 4-band red, green, blue, near-infrared (RGBN)) imagery acquired for the Calgary Forest Area. Objectives of the project include the acquisition and processing of satellite imagery for the area of interest: 1. In the most cost-effective and operationally useful manner; 2. At a sufficient spatial resolution and accuracy to fulfill the business requirements of the intended project; 3. That meets the requirements in terms of format, spatial reference, radiometric properties, specifications, and final deliverables; 4. That has undergone an acceptable and standard set of processes to ensure data quality; 5. That is sufficiently current (unless otherwise requested) and collected under appropriate conditions to satisfy the business requirements of the intended project, and 6. That is licensed to the Government of Alberta in perpetuity and may be used internally in any manner and may be used by external contractors and Government of Alberta grant recipients conducting work on behalf of any licensed Ministry at no additional cost.