Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Pieridae Energy is proposing construction of a marine liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on Nova Scotia's eastern shore at Goldboro, in Guysborough County. Construction of the facility involves a wharf and a jetty extending from the shoreline approximately 1 km out into 20 m water depth. Accurate information on the geology and depth of the ocean bottom are required to plan construction of the facility in the most suitable location in order to minimize environmental impact. The Nova Scotia Community College's Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG) has recently acquired a topographic-bathymetric lidar system that can be used to obtain measurements of the land elevation and water depth using a laser onboard an airplane. This method of remote sensing avoids potential challenges of boat-based sampling, which include navigational hazards, high costs, and longer length of time to survey. AGRG will use the data collected during the lidar survey in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to help refine the location of the wharf and jetty and calculate volumetric estimates of infill required to construct these critical components of the LNG terminal infrastructure.