IZ Mapping: Satellite-based Monitoring for Conservation and Co-Management Supporting the Future Marine Protected Area

The intertidal zone (IZ) mapping project is a satellite-based project focused on mapping the intertidal zone in the James Bay area of Eeyou Istchee. The purpose of the project is to determine the precise coastal zone, including the position of the water and land at low tide, which had previously never been officially mapped by the government.

The mapping was carried out using multi-temporal and multi-date satellite imagery, processing both low tide and high tide conditions to accurately map coastal areas. The project also involved developing a new tool using optical imagery and LiDAR (laser from space) to map the elevation of the intertidal zone. This combination of satellite data allowed the team to derive information about the coastal topography in areas where the land and water boundary changes with the tide.

The project was funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), under the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, as part of a call for a non-intrusive solution to map a protected maritime area. The work supports the creation and clarification of a newly established maritime protected area in James Bay, where the boundaries between land and water were previously unclear due to missing information about the exact low tide line.

This region needed to be mapped because the jurisdictional boundary between federal and provincial governments depends on the position of the low tide line, and this had not been precisely defined. The lack of accurate mapping meant that the limits of the protected area were unclear. The project provides the necessary information to define these boundaries and support the management of the co-managed protected area in James Bay between Indigenous communities and the federal government.