Partnerships

The Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre is a focal point for collaboration and coordination of innovative research in the Kootenays. The facility promotes professional interaction and communication among researchers and organizations resulting in more concerted and synergistic efforts.

Key to attaining these advantages, the technical infrastructure of the SGRC serves as bridging linking regional leaders in research, application development, and training. Partners gain access to the sophisticated technology necessary to develop new geospatial applications for natural resource planning, environmental planning, social and economic development, and Internet mapping / distributed GIS.

The Centre’s technological infrastructure includes multiple servers, high capacity storage and leading edge software to allow easier distribution of information to partners, agencies and to the public. This infrastructure is essential to attract technical industries and to stimulate economic growth in our region.

Find out more about partnership by contacting the SGRC Coordinator, Ian Parfitt.

Current Partnerships (details below)

Ministry of Agriculture and Lands – Integrated Land Management Bureau

Selkirk College and the Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB) are continuing a mutually beneficial partnership and collaboration that was initiated in November, 2001 between the College and the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (MSRM). The Integrated Land Management Bureau has the mandate to provide provincial leadership to achieve sustainable development of the province's land, water and resources while maintaining environmental values and to deliver integrated land and resource information to clients in an efficient and effective manner. Selkirk College, through the Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre, has the mandate to facilitate innovative applied research, technology application, education and training to meet its commitment to the cultural, economic, environmental and social enrichment of the communities it serves. Both mandates are facilitated through this collaborative partnership.

Kootenay Spatial Data Partnership

This project involves collaboration between the SGRC, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands - Integrated Land Management Bureau, and select regional forest licensees. The purpose is to address directly the needs of partners as they relate to the development of Forest Stewardship plans. Key GIS data layers are accessed through the SGRC (using a web-based application). The application serves an estimated 40 spatial layers, containing the most up-to-date, quality-controlled spatial layers with metadata. A data distribution service is provided through the KSDP website and mapping service with the ability to allow viewing of the spatial layers. Metadata includes a table referencing each spatial layer to a data custodian and/or steward.

KSDP Website: www.kootenayspatial.ca
Web Mapping Service: www.sgrc.selkirk.ca/imf5_2/imf.jsp?site=ksdp

RDKB - Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and City of Rossland

The Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) and the City of Rossalnd are collaborating to provide a web mapping service to the citizens of Kootenay Boundary. RDKB and City of Rossland warehouse their data sets at the SGRC in a secure environment, allowing the display of geospatial data over the web at a variety of security-enabled access levels. SGRC infrastructure is utilized to provide viewing of geospatial layers of data critical in assisting business and public interests in making better decisions.

Web Mapping Service: https://rdkb.sgrc.selkirk.ca/imf5_1/sites/rdkb/jsp/launch.jsp

Columbia Basin Trust and Columbia Basin Watershed Network

This project involves collaboration between the SGRC, Columbia Basin Trust Water Initiatives Program and the Institute of Resources, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of Bristish Columbia. The purpose is to host spatial data pertaining to watershed management within the Columbia Basin. This watershed information system will benefit watershed networks, community groups, and citizens of the Columbia Basin, who will be able view, query and display relevant datasets using an Internet mapping application.

Key GIS data layers are publiclly accessible through the SGRC's web mapping service which contains current, quality-controlled spatial layers with metadata and additional water management resources.

Columbia Basin Watershed Network http://www.cbwn.ca/
Web Mapping Service: http://www.sgrc.selkirk.ca/imf5_2/sites/cbt/jsp/launch.jsp

Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)

The Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre (SGRC) at Selkirk College has been designated a Community Mapping Station through a grant from the University of British Columbia, Human Early Learning Partnership program. Mapping stations work with local community organizations to build community asset and resource data and assist local planning and research initiatives related to early childhood development. Mapping stations also provide high-speed Internet access, during designated hours, to the public for viewing community mapping related to early childhood development (http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/maps-and-data/). Mapping community assets aids communities in recognizing where services or programs are required and for enhancing decision making for planning and policies.

Revelstoke Mountain Caribou Research Project

The Revelstoke Mountain Caribou Research Project is coordinated by Robert Serrouya and began in 1992 with the goal of integrating caribou habitat needs with forest management through BC Ministry of Forests (Forest Science Program), Parks Canada and forest licensees.

Data from the project has gone directly into land-use plans that guide the amount of forest harvesting in Caribou Habitat. In the mid 1990s, caribou began declining more rapidly, so the focus expanded to determine causes of mortality of radio-collared caribou. Since 2002, the project has expanded further to examine other ecosystem components that interact with caribou, including moose, wolves, and vegetation. We also study interactions between caribou and mechanized recreation to determine if there are any measurable effects on caribou distributions and populations.

The Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre has contributed GPS wildlife collars for tracking wildlife locations. Other contributions will involve assisting with data management and analysis as it pertains specifically to activities using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Students also have an opportunity to participate in field based activities.

Christina Lake Stewardship Society

Environmental health is the foundation of economic prosperity in the Boundary Region, and is of particular importance to the Christina Lake area. The long-term stability of the area’s environmentally based economy depends on maintaining and restoring the environmental health of the lake and surrounding watershed. Nevertheless, higher human settlement and tourism levels have increased community concerns over the last two decades. Issues such as habitat degradation, protection of native fish stocks and wildlife stocks, lake access and capacity, and eurasian water milfoil, must be addressed. The citizens of this community want to maintain the quality of life, which originally attracted them to this area while realizing that the very environment they want to conserve and protect is the major economic force within this region. The SGRC has partnered with the Christina Lake Stewardship Society to provide GIS services in order to assist in these land management issues.

Partnerships>