At the beginning of 2017 BSF Swissphoto was assigned a consulting  mandate for the Mona Office for Research and Innovation/ The University  of the West Indies (UWI). The mandate included the following points:

• Gain an overview of available data sets and comparable data collection efforts (current and planned) as part of the PPCR or similar projects in the region. We are already aware of topographic and/or bathymetric Lidar projects on St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada and SVG.

• Develop selection criteria for the choice of additional suitable and high-impact sites on Jamaica, Grenada, SVG and Haiti to be surveyed by Lidar technology.

• Consult with various stakeholders on the respective islands and finalize the site selection according to the pre-determined criteria. Gather end user input regarding the required data characteristics (resolution, accuracy, formats etc.)

• Identify suitable survey technologies and define the technical requirements and for the data collection. Develop detailed technical specifications (ToR) to tender and execute Lidar (Topographic and Bathymetric) surveys to include the specifications for the high resolution maps (coastal topography and bathymetry) and Digital Terrain Models

• Assist the UWI in reviewing contractor approach and  technology at the start of the mapping component and provide expert  assistance in reviewing contractor QA/QC procedures, equipment and work  plan.

• Assist the UWI in the evaluation of bids and negotiation of the consulting services contract

• At critical stages in the development of data and landform models, provide expert review and QA/QC observations to the UWI to assure that data collection and analysis are consistent with the contract requirements

The project serves as a pilot for similar projects in  Jamaica, Haiti, Grenada St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is currently  in the second phase, i.e. the contracted company is currently flying the  defined project areas. The task of BSF Swissphoto was to assess the  quality of the delivered LiDAR data.