James W. Sewall News RSS feed

Sewall Senior Environmental Scientist Chester Bigelow III, PWS, is appointed President of Society of Wetland Scientists, New England Chapter

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:16:51 -0400

The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) has appointed Sewall professional wetland scientist Chester Bigelow as President of the New England Chapter. An international organization with 3,500 members, the SWS is dedicated to fostering sound wetland science, education, and resource management. The New England Chapter is a forum for advancing wetlands conservation, research, and educational outreach within the New England states. Mr. Bigelow brings to this appointment 29 years' experience in aquatic and wetlands ecology and environmental engineering. His areas of specialization include wetland delineation and functional assessment, spill response and damage assessment, field collection and statistical analysis of chemical and biological data, environmental assessment, and Section 401/404 permitting. Membership in the New England Chapter is open to anyone residing in New England. For more information, contact: chet.bigelow@sewall.com; or visit www.sws.org/regional/newengland/

Sierra Club, Sewall and Greenleaf Advisors launch SmartSiting project in Great Lakes

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:56:57 -0400

The Sierra Club, James W. Sewall Company, and Greenleaf Advisors are building a team of stakeholders to develop a regional web-based GIS for siting wind energy projects in the Great Lakes. The proposed online system, the first wind siting tool of its kind in the US, will provide developers, regulators, government officials, NGOs, landowners and other organizations with high-value environmental and ecospatial information for use in identifying offshore project sites and evaluating the potential environmental, economic and social impacts of development in the region.

The first phase of the SmartSiting Project, launched in early January, includes an outreach to key stakeholders to inform, identify and recruit project partners; and a legal review of the regulations affecting offshore wind development and submerged land leasing in the Great Lakes. In subsequent phases, the team will collect and develop environmental, cultural, economic and commercial datasets from a variety of sources, integrating them into the web-based GIS. In concept, the new system’s design and data integration process will be based in part on existing Great Lakes web-based atlases and the Offshore Wind Energy GIS (OWEGIS), an ecospatial information management system created by Dr. Susan Elston at the University of Maine and refined in collaboration with its commercial partner, Sewall. OWEGIS comprises over 650 layers of coastal- and marine-related data used in siting wind power projects in the Gulf of Maine.

According to Emily Green, Sierra Club’s Great Lakes Program Director, “We see the SmartSiting system as an innovative collaborative tool that will provide key stakeholders with a wide range of accurate, project-specific information essential to site evaluation, siting decisions and permitting. It will also refocus the discussion about data—where it comes from, how relevant it is—to the actual critical issues of wind power development in the Great Lakes.”

According to John Andersen, President of Greenleaf Advisors, “Renewable Energy is not truly sustainable unless its infrastructure is developed intelligently, beginning with siting decisions that are well informed by scientific data, revealing environmental, economic and social values impacted.”

The first phase of the $225,000 SmartSiting Project is funded in part by a grant to The Sierra Club Foundation from The SC Johnson Fund, Inc.

About Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the US. Founded by John Muir, the organization has been working to protect communities, wild places and the planet itself since 1892. For more information, please visit www.sierraclub.org or contact: Emily Green, Great Lakes Program Director, at 608-257-4994; emily.green@sierraclub.org

About Sewall: Founded in 1880, Sewall is an integrated team of geospatial, engineering and natural resource consultants who partner with clients to create practical, sustainable solutions. The company’s diverse portfolio is based on 130 years' experience in surveying and civil engineering; 60 years' in aerial mapping; and 20 years' in GIS and application development. To obtain more information, please visit www.sewall.com or contact: Ray Corson, Vice President, at 207-827-4456; ray.corson@sewall.com

About Greenleaf Advisors: Greenleaf Advisors is a consulting and transaction-services firm that builds sustainable enterprises and communities by bridging them to the resources and strategies they need to develop in a healthy way. To obtain more information, please visit www.greenleafadvisors.net or contact: John Andersen, President, at 312-846-7871; jandersen@greenleafadvisors.net

David T. Edson, LPF, takes reins as Sewall President/CEO

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:57:45 -0400

James W. Sewall Company, an international professional consulting organization specializing in energy, infrastructure and natural resources, announces today the appointment of David T. Edson, LPF, as President/CEO. He replaces former CEO Dr. James H. Page, who is leaving Sewall to become Chancellor of the University of Maine System.

Mr. Edson has dedicated his professional career to Sewall in leadership roles as President, Executive Vice-President, Chief of Operations, and Vice President of Forestry and Natural Resources. A licensed professional forester, Mr. Edson joined Sewall in 1974 as Forest Technician. As a Senior Analyst, he supervised remote image acquisition, forest inventory and resource analysis for over 25 million acres of forestland in North America. Named Vice President of Forestry and Natural Resources in 1983, he was instrumental in designing and implementing Sewall’s first geographic information system (GIS) for forestland ownership, use and covertype. In 2001, Mr. Edson partnered with Dr. Page, then Sewall’s Executive Vice President, to acquire Sewall, in the process transforming the firm from family to management ownership. During the next decade, Dr. Page as CEO and Mr. Edson as Executive Vice President, and later President, diversified Sewall’s services in engineering, GIS, and forestry consulting to include offerings in web-based enterprise GIS, renewable energy and environmental sciences. They also expanded the firm’s geographic reach to four continents, providing a broad range of strategic services to regional, national and international clients.

According to Dr. Page, “Dave is an instinctive leader who has driven Sewall’s strategic initiatives and operations with a hands-on, collaborative management style. Over the years, he has developed a deep understanding of our clients, their market drivers and evolving needs. As a result, he brings to the role of CEO a unique combination of vision, client focus, and commitment to Sewall and to Sewall’s future.”

Mr. Edson welcomes the challenge of his new position: “We have built a team of talented professionals who can identify root problems and work with our clients to resolve them. We strive to be best in class in serving our clients.”

A native of Vermont, Mr. Edson has a BA in American history from Harvard University (1970) and an MS in forestry from the University of Maine (1983). He and his wife Susan have two grown daughters and live in Veazie, Maine.

To obtain more information, please contact: Lisa Schoonmaker, at 207-827-4456; schl@sewall.com

Maine Forest Service: Hardwood inventory forecast predicts opportunities, challenges. Analysis prepared by James W. Sewall Company

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:29:19 -0500

A new report prepared by an Old Town natural-resource consulting firm for the Maine Forest Service, under the Maine Department of Conservation, has determined that Maine's hardwood inventory is at a near-record high.

The analysis, prepared by James W. Sewall Co., indicates that the hardwood inventory, at 351 million tons, is 16.6 percent higher than in 1995, with growth exceeding harvests on a statewide basis by 6 percent. This growth has occurred at a time when pulp and paper mills around the state have been significantly increasing consumption of hardwood pulpwood for the past several decades. More

Mississippi counties collaborate on costs of coastal imagery project

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:33:29 -0500

Six counties in southern Mississippi have launched a cost-savings project to capture the first comprehensive post-Katrina imagery of the Mississippi coastal region. In an innovative inter-local process, Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, George, Stone, and Pearl River counties have teamed together with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Northern Gulf Institute to develop high-resolution digital imagery products at lower cost than they would pay under separate independent contracts.

In January, the counties selected international GIS firm James W. Sewall Company to fly the 3,700-square-mile project area and deliver composite 0.5-foot-pixel and 1-foot-pixel digital orthophotography in March. The deliverables will be used for a wide range of local, state and federal government applications, including tax assessment, transportation, utilities upgrades and environmental studies.

“It’s a make sense project,” says Bob Jackson, Harrison County Deputy Tax Assessor, and project coordinator under Tal Flurry, Harrison County Tax Assessor. “Harrison County needed new imagery and we knew the surrounding counties needed imagery. Coordinating regional flights would not only save duplicated effort, lowering costs to the taxpayers, but also attract federal interest. We chose Sewall because of its history of collective projects in Georgia, its quality of product, and price points well beyond what we could achieve independently.”

Joel Yelverton, independent consultant and government liaison to the project, says, “The collective approach to this project is unique to Mississippi.” Yelverton, a key player in negotiating the State and federal agreements, considers the project “a working model for other counties in the State.”

Under an aggressive schedule, Sewall has completed flying the project and is now developing the digital orthophotography using elevation data from previous post-Katrina work. The high resolution of the imagery will enable the counties, state agencies and NOAA to develop customized mapping and GIS products as needed in the future.

About Sewall: Founded in 1880, Sewall is an integrated team of geospatial, engineering and natural resource consultants who partner with government and industry clients to create practical, sustainable solutions. The company’s diverse portfolio is based on 130 years' experience in surveying, forest appraisal and civil engineering; 60 years' in aerial mapping; and 20 years' in GIS and application development. To obtain more information, please contact: Lisa Schoonmaker, at 207-827-4456; schl@sewall.com

ConnectME Authority launches dynamic broadband mapping website. Includes static map gallery by Sewall

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:39:46 -0500

Today, the ConnectME Authority announced the launch of the State of Maine's dynamic broadband mapping website available at: http://www.maine.gov/connectme/broadbandmapping/. The web site features an interactive broadband map of Maine, a static broadband map gallery, and a broadband connection speed test for recording broadband user speeds. More

Recession: Sewall Co. adapts to changing economic times

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:04:06 -0500

Sewall President Dave Edson, LPF, interviews with Forestry Source on the recession and how it has affected the company. More

Forestry Tasmania sells its stake in softwood plantations. Valuation provided by independent expert James W. Sewall Company

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:20:48 -0500

Sewall Forestry & Natural Resources has been providing valuation work for Forestry Tasmania (FT) for several years. One of its projects has been to appraise periodically a softwood joint venture between FT and GMO Renewable Resources, which was recently sold to New Forests, another Sewall client. More about the transaction and Sewall's role in it.

Michael S. Riley, PE, joins Sewall as Senior Project Manager. Water/wastewater consulting engineer to expand Sewall client base

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:36:36 -0500

James W. Sewall Company is pleased to announce the hiring of water/wastewater engineer Michael S. Riley, PE, as Senior Project Manager in Engineering. With 20 years’ experience in water/wastewater consulting and municipal utility management, he will play a strategic role in expanding Sewall’s traditional client base in the New England water/wastewater market.

Mr. Riley has a career record of accomplishment in both professional consulting and water utility management. As project manager, consultant and chief engineer at two prominent Maine firms, he supervised over 65 multi-disciplined water utility projects throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, including a $15 million, 30-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) water treatment facility upgrade in Lowell, Massachusetts. He has managed multiple mutual aid studies for utilities throughout Maine and New Hampshire and designed over $100 million in public infrastructure in Maine. As superintendent of the Brewer Water Department, a municipal utility serving 10,000 customers, he managed programs for watershed monitoring and testing; water treatment, including operating a 4-MGD ozonation plant; and water distribution. In this position, he increased watershed control from 30 to 80 percent within four years; designed interconnect and intake projects, providing redundancy for all key water system components; and implemented changes in the corrosion control program, which resulted in the first passage of the Lead/Copper Rule in 15 years.

Sewall Vice President of Engineering Scott Graham says, “We are pleased to welcome Mike to our engineering team. He brings a unique combination of strengths—extensive consulting experience plus an insider’s view of client needs and challenges. These qualities will be invaluable to us and to our clients going forward.”

Mr. Riley is a member of the American Waterworks Association (AWWA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Maine Water Utilities Association (MWUA), and a frequent presenter on water/wastewater best practices and technologies. He has Class IV licenses in water treatment and water distribution, a BS in civil engineering from the University of Maine and a BS in biology from Bates College.

Founded in 1880, Sewall is an integrated team of geospatial, engineering and natural resource consultants who partner with clients to create practical, sustainable solutions. The company’s diverse portfolio is based on 100 years' experience in surveying, forestry consulting, and civil engineering; 60 years' in aerial mapping; and 20 years' in geospatial systems and software. In the last 10 years, Sewall’s offerings have expanded to include services in environmental science, renewable energy, and web-based technologies. For more information, contact: Scott Graham, PE, Vice President, at 207-827-4456; gras@sewall.com; and visit the Sewall web site at www.sewall.com.

Sewall forms multidisciplinary Environmental Sciences group

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:02:11 -0500

Sewall has formed a new multidisciplinary Environmental Sciences group to deliver innovative solutions in water resources and water quality management to government, industry, and commercial clients. Under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey S. (Steve) Kahl, the Environmental Sciences group integrates Sewall expertise in engineering, GIS mapping and natural resources to conduct research, seek grant funding, and implement large-scale projects in stormwater and watershed management, water quality monitoring, and environmental assessment, planning and permitting. In collaboration with partners in academia, business, government and the nonprofit sector, the group will help clients adopt best practices and protocols that meet regulatory compliance, reduce liability and costs, and incorporate the newest and best environmental concepts.

“Water resources are the basis for assessment in most environmental regulations, but the latest research methods are rarely used,” says Dr. Kahl. “There are newer, less-expensive methods to manage stormwater, for example, than the mainstream pavement, pipe and pond approach. We will provide our clients with practical and sustainable solutions that both protect water resources and influence public policy.”

Stormwater utilities, according to Kahl, are another sustainable solution that can help communities meet regulatory requirements at lower cost. “There are thousands of stormwater utilities in the US, but only a few in New England. This gap represents an untapped financial opportunity for communities in the region to address flood and erosion control, water quality management, ecological preservation, and annual pollutant loads contained in stormwater discharges.”

Dr. Kahl brings to the group 30 years’ experience in environmental research and monitoring, watershed analysis, and natural resource and energy policy and program development. Prior to joining Sewall in April 2011, he was founding director of the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory and Senator George Mitchell Center at the University of Maine and of the Center for the Environment at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. He was instrumental in founding the Maine Water Conference as well as PEARL, the on-line GIS Maine lakes database, and has been awarded more than $25 million dollars in grants and contracts for universities and nonprofits to address such critical issues as acid rain, mercury, road salt, Atlantic salmon recovery and water quality best management practices.

Dr. Kahl’s extensive public service record includes his roles as LURC commissioner and member of the Maine Great Pond Task Force, the New Hampshire Stormwater Commission, New Hampshire Shoreline Protection Act Policy Commission, and New Hampshire Energy Planning Advisory Board. He is also a member of the graduate faculty at University of Maine and a former staff member of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Core members of the Environmental Sciences group include Senior Environmental Scientist Chester C. Bigelow, III, PWS and Staff Engineer Eeva Hedefine. A professional wetlands scientist for 25 years, Mr. Bigelow specializes in water quality monitoring, wetland restoration, and ecological conservation and management. Ms Hedefine has expertise in utilities GIS and experience in environmental permitting, environmental site assessments and analyses for windpower projects.

The group will also engage the in-house expertise of Sewall Senior Project Manager Michael S. Riley, PE. A new hire, Mr. Riley brings 20 years’ experience in water/wastewater engineering for both private firms and municipal utilities. As project manager, consultant and chief engineer, he has supervised multi-disciplined water utility projects and designed over $100 million in public infrastructure in Maine. Most recently, he managed the Brewer Water Department, a municipal utility serving 10,000 customers.

Through the Environmental Sciences group, Sewall is also offering clients grant writing services to secure funding that meets their project needs. Dr. Diane Vatne, an experienced grant writer, will assist Sewall clients and the Environmental Sciences group in securing grants to fund a range of environmental projects. Dr. Vatne has written over $2,500,000 in successful grants for nonprofit organizations in Maine prior to joining Sewall.

According to Vice President Scott Graham, PE, “The Environmental Sciences initiative gives us a unique opportunity to bring Sewall staff together with the best professionals from academia, government and business to help solve the challenging environmental problems our clients face. We look forward to the very real and practical benefits this collaboration will produce.”

For more information on Sewall’s Environmental Sciences Group and the integrated services they offer, please visit the Sewall web site at: Environmental Sciences or contact Dr. Steve Kahl, Director of Environmental Services, at 207 827 4456; steve.kahl@sewall.com

James W. Sewall Company takes wind energy business to national summit

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:39:35 -0400

The geospatial, engineering and natural resource consulting firm James W. Sewall Company will promote Offshore Wind Energy GIS (OWEGIS) technology, aerial mapping, siting, and engineering services at the AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition on October 11-13, in booth 331 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland.

"Sewall has assisted in the development of 10 commercial-scale wind projects representing 300 wind turbines and over 600 mw of potential energy production," explains Director of Renewable Energy Services Patrick Graham. "Based on our experience in providing surveying, civil engineering, aerial mapping, GIS database and software development to wind developers onshore, we plan to be a serious player in the expanding US offshore wind market."

Sewall, working in partnership with the University of Maine through the Offshore Wind Development Initiative, has already brought the power of geospatial technology to the study of ocean renewable energy and wind power production potential in the Gulf of Maine (GoM). This technology--the Offshore Wind Energy GIS (OWEGIS)--is an innovative ecospatial information system that is being used to identify areas for offshore wind farm development and to rank their potential according to environmental, cultural, economic, and commercial impacts. Sewall, as a member of the DeepCwind Consortium, is currently applying OWEGIS to assist with the permitting of the first floating offshore wind project in North America. Sewall is also working with a consortium of organizations to apply the OWEGIS data architecture to exploring the siting of wind power projects in the Great Lakes.

Sewall has a long history of supporting traditional energy projects throughout the US. Most recently Sewall was commissioned by National Grid, an international investor-owned gas and electric utility that delivers electricity to 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. The deliverables--aerial imagery of the entire route and mapping and orthos for five out of six substations along the route--were essential to National Grid's planning and engineering of future electric transmission projects in the region.

Investment opportunities in wind development

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:52:48 -0400

Patrick Graham is director of Renewable Energy Services at James W. Sewall Company, an engineering and natural resources consulting firm. He draws on 19 years of engineering and environmental consulting experience and shares his views on investment opportunities in wind power development. More

Maine’s spruce/fir forest harvest predicted to surge over the next 20 years

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:28:04 -0400

The Governor's Office has released a new report completed by an Old Town natural-resource consulting firm for the Maine Department of Conservation (MDOC) predicting that harvest levels of the state's spruce-fir fiber resource can be increased significantly over the next 20 years while inventory levels are maintained.

The report on current inventory and projected growth, prepared by James W. Sewall Co. of Old Town, examines Maine's private, state and commercial timberlands, excluding federal lands, amounting to slightly more than 17 million acres.

The Sewall analysis predicts "an opportunity over the next twenty years to significantly increase the harvest levels of spruce/fir while still maintaining current levels of total spruce/fir standing inventory."

As a result, state officials are confident that Maine's forest products industry can play a significant role in a resurging national economy, plus in creating new jobs throughout Maine's woodlands region.

"We can increase our annual harvest of spruce/fir by 64 percent while maintaining our standing inventory over the next 20 years," Governor Paul LePage said. "That sends a powerful signal to our forest industry that Maine is the place to invest. This translates directly into jobs."

"For every new job we create at a sawmill, we have the potential to add three to four new jobs upstream into the forest and downstream into value-added products," Governor LePage pointed out. "That's what increases in fiber supply can do for Maine."

"There have been 30 years of regeneration since the 1980s," MDOC Commissioner Bill Beardsley said. "The resulting forest is now moving into commercial size, and its annual growth rate is accelerating. These vast forests will mature and be ready for harvest on a sustainable basis over the next 20 years. This doesn't even include improvements in future silvicultural practices."

Doug Denico, Maine state forester under MDOC, commented: "Maine's spruce/fir forest is entering a phase when growth rates per acre will increase each year through 2030. A growing, stable supply of spruce/fir bodes well for investment and jobs in our forest industry. Sewall independently confirmed our state analysis. Add to this our industry's ever-improving silviculture practices and harvest utilization, and I am very optimistic for Maine's rural communities."

Denico also said that "the MDOC looks forward to partnering with various groups to fund and advance this project to include all commercial tree species. The Sewall study is timely, as existing and potential investors in new forest products businesses have shown increased interest in the future wood supply of various species."

Sewall was contracted to perform an independent assessment of the state's spruce/fir resource. The report concluded that there currently is about 150 million tons of fiber in the state inventory, based on the U.S.D.A. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis dataset as of 2010. Inventory growth is estimated at 4.7 million tons a year.

As might be expected, Aroostook County has the largest current inventory of fiber, at 1.5 million cubic feet, and the most timberland, at 3.78 million acres. Piscataquis County is next, with 1 million cubic feet in inventory and 2.25 million acres. Androscoggin County has the smallest inventory, at 10,013 cubic feet, while Sagadahoc County has the smallest area of timberland, at 105,949 acres.

The latest inventory data also shows that over the past 10 years, spruce/fir growth was approximately 98 percent of what was harvested. The harvest, however, also has declined over the past 10 years by about 25 percent. With decreased harvesting pressure in recent years, the ratio of growth to harvest now appears positive, according to the report.

Projecting for the next 20 years, Sewall biometricians judged that the harvest can be increased in one year to 4.8 million tons with no effect on inventory. They also stated that harvest actually could be increased to 7.8 million tons annually by the end of the 20-year period while still maintaining inventory at current levels, a 64 percent increase over current levels. At that rate, the average harvest would be 5.86 million tons annually.

The report states that there may be two economic opportunities for Maine producers: one opportunity simply by increasing annual harvest levels; and a second opportunity in harvesting trees planted after the spruce budworm epidemic in the 1970s that have reached maturity.

Adding a note of caution, the report states: "... [T]here is always the chance of another spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) infestation or widespread loss to wildfire." The risk, however, "is not the same level of concern it has been in the past."

The report notes that the Maine Forest Service continues to survey and monitor spruce budworm. "... [I]t is probable that the budworm will return in numbers large enough to significantly impact the spruce/fir resource," the report states. "... Damage [however] can be minimized by keeping the forest healthy and not letting it become over mature."

Another potential loss could be from forest fire, the Sewall analysts said, adding, however, that "Maine has done a great job of prevention and suppression of forest fires." The report notes a dramatic decrease in the number of acres consumed by forest fires in recent years.

"Both of these risks are partially mitigated by the extensive road system now in place, and by the condition of the forest (younger, more vigorous and more stratified in terms of age class, stand size class and stocking)," the Sewall report concluded.

For the complete Sewall report, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/pubs/pdf/sprucefirresource_rpt.pdf

For more information about the Maine Forest Service, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs

MAPPS elects new officers, Board of Directors

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:30:46 -0400

MAPPS, the only national association for private sector geospatial firms, elected three new members to the association's Board of Directors and re-elected five others. The MAPPS Board also elected a slate of officers to serve the association for 2011-2013.

Richard "Dick" McDonald, PLS, CP, Director of Geospatial Services of T3 Global Strategies Inc., Bridgeville, PA assumed the office of President. McDonald has been a member of the MAPPS Board for six years, including roles as Secretary and President-Elect. He has been the chairman of a number of committees and task forces, including the MAPPS-FEMA/DoD/DHS Liaison Committee and Underground Utilities Task Force.

The MAPPS membership elected Claire Kiedrowski, CP, President of Kappa Mapping Inc. Bangor, ME; Jim Page, PhD, CEO of James W. Sewall Company, Old Town, ME; and Tim Stagg, Vice President, Federal Programs of AeroMetric, Easton, MD as new directors of the MAPPS Board. Eric Andelin, CP, GISP, Group Manager of Woolpert, Inc., Garland, TX and Mike Tully, CP, President of Aerial Services Inc., Cedar Falls, IA, were re-elected to terms on the Board. More

GIS forms foundation for determining cash flow estimates. An interview with Bret Vicary

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:24:54 -0400

In this Timberland Special Feature, Bret Vicary, vice president, forestry and natural resource consulting at James W. Sewall Company, who specializes in timberland investment analysis and appraisals, is going to share why appraisals pose a challenge for investors. Towards that end, he shares how effective and useful GIS (an acronym for geographic information system), remote sensing and aerial photography can be in determining timberland inventory. More

Sewall selects GeoCue for LiDAR workflow

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:14:26 -0400

James W. Sewall Company of Old Town, Maine, has selected GeoCue Corporation to deploy a GeoCue managed LIDAR production workflow solution. Leveraging a GeoCue enterprise configuration, LIDAR specific workflows, and Terrasolid LIDAR editing tools, Sewall will be fully equipped for all aspects of LIDAR production from receipt of geo-coded LIDAR data in LAS format to final map product delivery.

As part of this contract, Sewall LIDAR technicians and management staff have also participated in GeoCue’s well established LIDAR ‘Bootstrap’ training program, an intensive on-site training curriculum delivered through a series of week-long, hands-on training exercises designed to provide Sewall LIDAR production staff with the fundamental knowledge and skills required to successfully generate high-quality LIDAR map products and derivatives.

The deployed system includes a GeoCue Server with LIDAR specific production tools and will provide Sewall with an advanced workflow management solution to ensure efficient production methodologies and stringent quality control/assurance procedures are built into all LIDAR production projects.

According to Sewall Vice President, Brian Norris, PLS, “We selected the GeoCue product and training program to continue to meet our clients’ evolving geospatial needs. Our increased capabilities in processing LIDAR will enable them to realize the enormous benefits of the technology in a wide range of geospatial, environmental, and energy-related applications.”

Founded in 1880, Sewall is an integrated team of geospatial, engineering and natural resource consultants who partner with clients to create practical, sustainable solutions. The company’s diverse portfolio is based on 100 years of experience in surveying, forestry consulting, and civil engineering; 60 years in aerial mapping; and 20 years in geospatial systems and software. In the last 10 years, Sewall’s offerings have expanded to include services in environmental engineering, renewable energy, and web-based technologies. For more information about Sewall, contact: Lisa Schoonmaker, Communications Director, at 207-827-4456; schl@sewall.com, or visit the web site at http://www.sewall.com.

GeoCue Corporation (http://www.geocue.com) is a software development and consulting services company specializing in geospatial production management solutions and LIDAR data processing tools.

Maine Offshore Wind Report official release

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:36:47 -0500

The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the DeepCwind Consortium released the Maine Offshore Wind Report today. The report is available for download online at DeepCwind.org/offshorewindreport.

UMaine Prof. Habib Dagher is leading statewide efforts to develop the technology and infrastructure that will enable Maine to capitalize on deepwater offshore wind as an energy resource.

Funded by more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and compiled by the University of Maine and the James W. Sewall Company, the report examines economics and policy, electrical grid integration, wind and wave, bathymetric, soil, and environmental research. It also includes summaries of assembly and construction sites, critical issues for project development and permitting.

The Maine Offshore Wind Report reflects the compiled efforts of a team of contributors organized by UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. This team includes the University of Maine, James W. Sewall Company; RLC Engineering; Vienna Ventures; W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers Ltd.; Kleinschmidt Associates; Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer, & Nelson, P.A.; Island Institute; Maine Composites Alliance; Maine Wind Industry Initiative; and Black & Veatch Corporation.

The DeepCwind Consortium was established in October 2009 through a competitive grant program awarded by the Department of Energy to advance renewable energy goals. This group of experts and leaders, across a wide range of industries and academic disciplines, is developing floating offshore wind technology to harness the powerful winds located in waters beyond the reach of traditional fixed-foundation turbines.

The DeepCwind Consortium's mission is to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology through a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and others. The University of Maine-led consortium includes universities, nonprofits, and utilities; a wide range of industry leaders in offshore design, offshore construction, and marine structures manufacturing; firms with expertise in wind project siting, environmental analysis, environmental law, composites materials to assist in corrosion-resistant material design and selection, and energy investment; and industry organizations to assist with education and tech transfer activities.

Advanced Structures and Composites Center is a state-of-the-art one-stop-shop for integrated composite materials and structural component development. Located at the University of Maine, it offers in-house capabilities for developing a composite product or structure from the conceptual stage through research, manufacturing of prototypes, comprehensive testing and evaluation, code approval and commercialization. In the past year it has been awarded nearly $40 million in funding to pursue research in deepwater offshore wind energy technology.

Contact:
Elizabeth Viselli, Associate Program Manager
Advanced Structures and Composites Center
DeepCwind Consortium
elizabeth.viselli (at) umit.maine.edu
207-581-2831

First Wind deploys Sewall’s ATLAS Enterprise GIS Viewer/Publisher

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:49:16 -0500

National GIS firm James W. Sewall Company announced today that First Wind of Newton, Massachusetts, has launched Sewall’s ATLAS Enterprise GIS Viewer and Publishing system. ATLAS, an innovative browser-based GIS solution, enables GIS staff to publish a wide variety of spatial data company-wide via a fast, intuitive, and interactive mapping application built on the Google Maps Enterprise API.

High-value environmental and ecospatial information for siting wind projects is now readily available to all staff through a self-service model, reducing the amount of time spent requesting, searching for, and handling data. Because the same information is available company-wide, ATLAS supports collaboration, decisionmaking and the strategic planning critical to wind energy siting and development.

“We are very excited about the release of the ATLAS system,” said Ryan Chaytors, First Wind’s Director of Development. “We worked with Sewall to design a solution that fits our unique business requirements, especially the fast pace of data-driven decision making. We were pleased with both the design and the execution. The new system has been received enthusiastically by users in a wide variety of roles within the company.”

ATLAS is based on the Google Maps platform, extended by unique Sewall technology that enables First Wind to publish proprietary GIS data from a variety of sources as either Microsoft SQL Server tables, or tiled images.

About Sewall: Founded in 1880, Sewall is an integrated team of geospatial, engineering and natural resource consultants who partner with clients to create practical, sustainable solutions. The company’s diverse portfolio is based on 130 years' experience in surveying and civil engineering; 60 years' in aerial mapping; and 20 years' in GIS and software application development. Sewall has 9 offices in cities nationwide. To obtain more information, please visit www.sewall.com or contact: Patrick Graham, Director of Renewable Energy Services, at 207-827-4456; patrick.graham@sewall.com

About First Wind: First Wind is an independent North American wind energy company focused exclusively on the development, ownership and operation of wind energy projects. First Wind is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information on First Wind, please visit www.firstwind.com or follow us on Twitter@FirstWind. For more information, contact: John Lamontagne, First Wind, Director, Communications 857-226-5149

ConnectME Authority moves forward with broadband mapping and planning

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:46:42 -0400

In January of this year, the ConnectME Authority received nearly $1.8 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding from the Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to pursue a broadband mapping and planning project, creating the first comprehensive geographic inventory of high-speed Internet services statewide for use in identifying unserved and underserved areas and in planning expansion throughout the State.

The grant funds will facilitate a much more detailed and complete analysis of broadband than would have been possible with only the Authority’s modest resources. The grant amount is approximately $1.3 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and nearly $440,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Maine, bringing the total grant award to nearly $1.8 million.

The Authority awarded James W. Sewall Company of Old Town, Maine, a three-year contract to map broadband service and availability for the entire state. The mapping project, funded in part by ConnectME Authority, will extend over three years, with the majority of the mapping to be completed in the first half of 2010 and a broadband availability map available by late fall 2010. Although, a supplemental NTIA grant award would extend the mapping project to five full years, with periodic updates. More

Sewall and other members of Offshore Wind Consortium meet with DOE Secretary Chu to discuss offshore wind energy in Maine

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:42:19 -0400

As a member of the Offshore Wind Consortium, Sewall presented work on geospatial data analysis for siting offshore wind to Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu at the University of Maine’s AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center, on June 14. Sewall CEO Dr. James Page and Director of Renewable Energy Services Patrick Graham, PE, attended the event, which was led by the University and included a tour of the Center. As part of the event, Dr. Page attended a closed luncheon with Secretary Chu, Senator Susan Collins, and Governor John Baldacci to discuss offshore wind prospects and policy.