Transforming Canterbury Irrigation Management with GIS Mapping

Our client’s team was working with vast amounts of spatial and attribute data supplied in inconsistent formats. Managing this information for hundreds of farms was time-consuming and prone to errors. Their goal was to create a central, visual platform for storing and accessing farm boundaries, irrigated areas and scheme infrastructure, with the ability to drill into asset attributes as required.

Accuracy and reliability were also a priority, the solution would need to identify data overlaps or inconsistencies, allowing WIL to validate and improve its dataset over time.

Eliot Sinclair set up a secure, cloud-based GIS platform with layered mapping of farm boundaries, and corresponding scheme assets, along with publicly available data that would be useful when developing FEP’s. We imported and cleaned WIL’s existing datasets, applied data validation checks to identify errors, and established unique attributes for each asset type, while maintaining a logical naming convention between the layers that shared attributes.

The system was configured with tailored permissions so different users could access only the data relevant to their role. Over time, the platform has expanded to include additional layers at our client’s request, providing a single source of truth for operational and compliance purposes.

After providing training to our client, they now maintain the system in-house, ensuring long-term sustainability while we continue to provide technical support as needed. The outcome is a highly visual, accurate and accessible mapping system that has improved WIL’s data quality and operational efficiency. Seeing the benefits of an integrated, visual data system we have continued to work with the client to create a smart asset management tool.