Restoring shorelines and natural habitats through digital location intelligence

With more frequent and damaging hurricanes and storms, destruction of shorelines and erosion of natural habitats is an ongoing challenge in parts of Florida. The county needed to expedite and aid in their restoration efforts after they endured two major hurricanes – both of which destroyed 20 miles of Atlantic Ocean shoreline. As a result, the area became susceptible to further damage and reduced natural habitat for several endangered species, such as marine turtles, gophers, tortoises, nesting shorebirds and Beach Mice.

The damage from the hurricanes resulted in additional challenges due to the vulnerability of the natural environment, as hundreds of private dune walkover structures and thousands of feet of private sand fencing needed to be considered during all project phases.

To assist in restoration efforts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted funding for 750,000 cubic yards of beach-compatible sand sourced from an inland mine.

GHD Digital’s Location Intelligence (LI) team provided the client with data derived from digital data collection tools, that developed the “Master Map”, which helped reduce cost, field transcription errors and automated the collection of field photo and reporting logs. This process was completed for the hurricane-impacted beach berm (the area above the water, i.e., trees, shrubs and grasses) and dunes while protecting the natural habitats of threatened and endangered species.

The construction planning stages determined the best path forward for restoration, including the logistics and cost efficiencies of transporting the sand to the project location to fast-track construction.

We assisted in the spatial analysis of locating in-land mines in the north-central region and determined the locations of access holding lots, staging areas for machinery and construction crews to enter the beach for sand disposal. The team developed surveys to collect asset related information, spatial location and images for construction purposes and sand placement that were tracked throughout the project lifecycle. Almost 500 records were collected and automated for the seamless creation of report logs.

For example, the team provided data regarding the turtle nest locations along the project area dating from 2007 to 2022. The resulting turtle nest location figures provided crucial support for the project team in predicting future nesting behaviour, aiding agency discussions and planning construction activities without impacting wildlife.

The spatial solution, referred to as a digital “Master Map” captured project reach areas, turtle nesting locations, sand access lots, sand mines, permitted and non-permitted beach structures, tax parcels, and the survey locations and results.

This web-based map application gave team members the ability to view sensitive information, such as turtle nest locations, in relation to surveyed features. The Master Map enabled more informed decisions for project progression and effectively captured a large amount of spatial information in one concise and user-friendly application.

The design-build approach allowed the team to work together with the contractor, which expedited design and permitting in the pre-construction phase and enabled us to refine the final design in response to changing environmental conditions. This responsive design along with the digital solutions ensured that the project adhered to FEMA funding timelines and construction was completed in 15 months.

As a result, we provided restorative engineering practices to over 11 miles of hurricane impacted coastline, ensuring the protection of habitats of sensitive species in roughly 6 months. We expediated the deliverables for the client and enabled an increase in accuracy and efficiency, with a better understanding of the complexity of the natural environment of the project area.