Environmental Tech Company FishViews Releases First-Ever Panoramic Watershed Map

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With their release of the Stillaguamish Watershed tour, FishViews Inc. became the first company to release a 360-degree panoramic tour of an entire watershed. FishViews partnered with the Stillaguamish Tribe, Snohomish County, the Tulalip Tribe and other members of the Stillaguamish Watershed Council to provide this unique tool, which will help facilitate salmon recovery in the basin.

Using innovative and proprietary mobile mapping technology, FishViews develops 360-degree SmartMaps integrated with location-specific information, such as water quality, habitat data and flood plain overlays, offering a unique way to navigate rivers online. The Stillaguamish Watershed Council's goal for this project was to create an immersive visual model of the watershed that helps stakeholders identify salmon habitat restoration opportunities, serves as an engaging educational tool and illustration of a healthy river, and provides a platform to share Stillaguamish River geospatial data with the world.

Eight species of salmon use the Stillaguamish Watershed for spawning and rearing. In 1999, two of these species, Chinook and Bull Trout, were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In response to the listing, the Stillaguamish Watershed Council was formed to establish and implement the Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan. The Stillaguamish Watershed Council is part of a larger group of waterway stakeholders across Puget Sound who are working on a regional effort to recover Chinook. 

The Stillaguamish Watershed tour is part of a collection of nearly 800 miles of rivers from around the country that have been mapped using FishViews technology. This constantly growing Digital Atlas of America's Waterways is the culmination of the company's mission to "Connect People with Waterways." By delivering a comprehensive visual and data-driven experience, FishViews hopes to positively impact waterway science, recreation and conservation.

FishViews' business partnership with the industry-leading GIS mapping company Esri helps further enable salmon recovery planning and implementation by mapping river data layers with real world context. By building interactive, intelligent waterway maps that are accessible online, the company is working to modernize waterway resource management.

"Like many new, revolutionary data products, once it is available people will recognize the remaining data gaps even more, driving demand for more extensive coverage with this product," said John Mickett, PhD, Senior Oceanographer at the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab.

"Scientists aren't the only ones who will benefit from this unique map of the river," said Brian Footen, President and Cofounder of FishViews. "The Stillaguamish is a renowned fly-fishing and whitewater-rafting river."

Additional FishViews projects in Washington include a partnership with King County to quantify fish habitat within a SmartMap of the Snoqualmie River, integrating a Bull Trout distribution study by Olympic National Park Service into a SmartMap of the South Fork Hoh River, and a SmartMap of the Elwha River captured just days after the largest dam removal project in history.

"For the first time, people are able to view, navigate and experience our vast and beautiful waterways from their desktop, mobile and VR devices," said Scott Gallagher, CEO and Cofounder of FishViews. "Creating a connection between people and their waterways enables a common understanding of their importance, and common goals for their health and preservation."

About FishViews

Using unique and innovative technology, FishViews provides 360-degree HD tours of waterways, enabling improved planning and collaboration for conservation, waterway management and recreation. With the help of multiple advanced sensors, we collect geo-referenced imagery and data above and below the surface of the water, and deliver our cloud-hosted tours via desktop, mobile device and VR headset. Through affordable, eye-catching imagery, FishViews SmartMaps provide the visual and contextual data necessary to better understand our waterways. FishViews is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

Contact:
Scott Gallagher, CEO and Co-Founder
[email protected]  

SOURCE FishViews

Related Links

https://arcgis.fishviews.com