Environmental Stewardship & Natural Resources
Protecting the environment and managing natural resources sustainably have become pressing national priorities. Federal agencies tasked with environmental stewardship face challenges like climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and the need for sustainable land and resource use. INCATech supports these missions by providing advanced geospatial analytics, robust data integration, and engaging public-facing tools that together help monitor ecosystems, enforce environmental regulations, and promote conservation.
In essence, we turn data into actionable insight for environmental decision-makers – whether it’s identifying which streams are most at risk from mining runoff or helping the public understand the impact of a new environmental policy. Our secure, intelligent, and user-friendly solutions empower agencies and communities to work together in safeguarding our natural heritage.
INCATech draws upon its core practice areas, honed to meet environmental mission needs
We use mapping and spatial modeling to help visualize everything from species distributions to pollution plumes. Our Geospatial Information Systems specialists craft solutions that let scientists and regulators see complex environmental data layered geographically, which is crucial for understanding context and cumulative effects.
Our Enterprise Data Management expertise comes into play when dealing with the vast and varied datasets environmental agencies collect: water quality measurements, wildlife survey counts, climate data logs, etc.. INCATech builds data integration platforms that pull all this information together, ensuring consistency and enabling cross-analysis (e.g., correlating air quality data with public health records).
Our User-Centered Design methodology ensures that the tools we create, whether aimed at scientists, policy makers, or the general public, are accessible and engaging. A field ecologist might use a mobile app we designed to input observations directly from a wetland, or a citizen might use an interactive map we developed to understand environmental conditions in their neighborhood.
We implement Secure Cloud Environments, which is vital as agencies increasingly share data with the public and with each other – we make sure that sensitive information (like proprietary data from companies or personal data in environmental health studies) remains protected, while open data can be widely disseminated to inform citizens and researchers.
At INCATech we don’t just provide data – we deliver insight that leads to action
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - (RAMS)
We have worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Restoration of Abandoned Mine Sites (RAMS) program, applying geospatial analysis to locate and assess disused mines across the country. By mapping these sites and analyzing factors like proximity to waterways or communities, we helped prioritize remediation efforts – directing cleanup resources to the sites that posed the greatest risk to people and the environment.
Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (e-AMLIS)
In partnership with the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, INCATech enhanced the Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (e-AMLIS). We improved this nationwide database and application to better track thousands of abandoned mine lands, integrating large data sets (spanning many states and decades of information) and delivering more powerful reporting tools. This upgrade means that federal and state officials can more effectively identify environmental hazards and monitor progress as mines are reclaimed and restored.
PaintCare -
Additionally, our team supported a unique project with PaintCare – a product stewardship program focused on recycling unused paint – where we conducted spatial accessibility analysis. By analyzing the locations of paint drop-off sites relative to population centers, we helped determine how convenient and effective the recycling network was, highlighting areas where additional drop-off locations could improve community access.
How INCATech supports the Environmental Stewardship & Natural Resources mission
INCATech’s environmental service offerings address key aspects of conservation and resource management work.
We develop solutions for Environmental Data Integration, building centralized data repositories and analytics that support regulatory compliance and inform policy decisions. For instance, we might create a system for the EPA that aggregates emissions data from various industries and generates compliance reports automatically, saving analysts countless hours.
We have specialized skills in Mine Reclamation & Land Management support, providing geospatial analysis and web applications that assist agencies in planning restoration projects or managing public lands. A custom mapping tool we provide could help a land manager evaluate which parcels of land are suitable for renewable energy projects versus which should be conserved for wildlife, based on integrated data.
Another critical area is Sustainable Resource Management, where our analytical tools help model scenarios for resource use – such as water allocation models in drought-prone regions or forest management plans – balancing development needs with conservation.
INCATech’s expertise in Spatial Accessibility Analytics has been applied to environmental contexts; we use advanced spatial modeling to assess, for example, how accessible parks or green spaces are to different communities, or how evenly environmental benefits (and burdens) are distributed across a region. This kind of analysis supports environmental justice initiatives by identifying underserved areas.
