May 16: Thunder Bay GoGeomatics Speaker: Rob Rempel – Research Scientist MNRF
You are cordially invited to our fun free event geomatics networking event on May 16th. 
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 – 5:00 PM
The Foundry
242 Red River Rd, Thunder Bay, ON
Please RSVP by Joining our Meetup Group
The May Thunder Bay GoGeomatics Meetup, hosted by the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre, will lead off with a presentation from Rob Rempel-Research Scientist with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. His presentation is titled: “Applications of Geomatics in Cumulative Effects Assessment and Knowledge Integration for the Ring of Fire Development”. 
The Talk:
Rob will be talking about a very interesting topic. The cumulative effects assessment for projects such as the Ring of Fire development project will involve identifying critical environmental stressors, long-term environmental monitoring, accounting for past and future development activities, and forecasting expected response to proposed activities. In the past, cumulative effects assessment has been principally temporal in nature, and relied upon relatively detailed environmental modeling that is not particularly accessible to client groups and resource managers. New computer-based methods of cumulative effects assessment and simulation have been developed that utilize GIS technology, and that can facilitate better communication by visualizing data, utilizing a common platform for access to data, models and scenarios, and providing access to cloud-based database technology to integrate knowledge and information across agencies and client groups. In this talk I will discuss the structure and use of ALCES Online, a new GIS based technology to facilitate integrated cumulative effects assessment and client participation. I will highlight new workflow patterns and skill sets that GIS professionals of the future should consider in their career development.
The Group:
The Thunder Bay GoGeomatics group encourages any members of the public – professionals, students, others – with an interest in geomatics to attend our socials, network with other like-minded individuals, and learn about some of the exciting developments happening in our region. We hope to see you on May 16th at The Foundry (5:00pm)! Please join our Meetup group and RSVP. 
Our Speaker:
Rob Rempel is the science lead for the Spatial Ecology Program at the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, and adjunct professor in Biology at Lakehead University. Rob has been involved with GIS and remote sensing since the late 1980s, when he headed the Landsat Wetland Mapping Program for Ducks Unlimited Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rob spearheaded the use of GIS in Ontario’s MNRF using the SPANS and IDRISI GIS programs in the early 1990s, and has since promoted the use of GIS and geodatabases throughout various research and monitoring projects on moose and migratory songbirds. His latest interest is in promoting the novel use of GIS and environmental modeling to support cumulative effects assessment and scenario analysis in Ontario’s far north.
