About Ecophylla Consulting Inc

Background and Ecological Expertise

Rob Willson is the owner of Ecophylla Consulting Inc., a firm that specializes in ecological and geospatial assessment of the natural environment. Rob has more than 25 years of applied experience working with Species at Risk in Ontario and has extensive experience conducting ecological studies and habitat assessments, particularly on endangered reptiles, amphibians, and birds. As part of his work on these species, Rob has obtained multiple authorizations and overall benefit permits under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, as well as completing numerous Environmental Impact Assessments, Natural Heritage Studies, COSEWIC Reports, and Recovery Strategies.

Geospatial Expertise

In addition to ecology, Rob has a wide range of expertise in geospatial applications, as he has been using GIS and GNSS (GPS) to map locations and habitat of Species at Risk since 1995. Recently, Rob has been using his M300 drone along with LIDAR (R2A), Infrared (H20T), and RGB (P1) sensors to generate high-resolution, 3D point clouds and models. High accuracy raster deliverables such as orthophotos and digital elevation models are then streamed online with GeoServer, while vector data outputs can be provided to clients with the geospatial database PostgreSQL-PostGIS.

Degrees and Certifications

  • MSc in Ecology/Animal Behaviour (UofG)
  • BSc in Pure and Applied Ecology (UofG)
  • Drone Pilot-Advanced Operations  (sRPAS)
  • Managed Forest Plan Approver (MFPA/MFTIP)
  • Wetland Evaluation (OWES)
  • Ecological Land Classification (ELC)
  • Butternut Health Assessment
  • Rope Access (IRATA Level 1) & Working at Heights

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