Forth and Tay members
HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd
Business type: Aerial Surveying & Consultancy Ltd
Contact: Dilwyn Jones, Global BDM
Address: 62 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh G84 9ET
Email:
Countries worked in: UK , Ireland , Europe , Middle East , Australia , North America , Canada
HiDef was founded in 2007 and we successfully delivered our first commercial survey in 2009. HiDef became part of the BioConsult SH family of companies in 2016. BioConsult SH are a company based in Germany that has been working in environmental consultancy since 1998. By joining the BioConsult SH family, we are part of a large, multi-disciplinary consultancy of Europe’s leading environmental scientists, marine mammal biologists and ornithologists. We specialise in environmental consultancy, conducting environmental assessment and ecological research, by onshore and offshore aerial survey, to evaluate the impact of a project across the terrestrial, coastal and marine environments. We then use the ecological statistics generated to provide companies with a solution-based report.
Capabilities
Established supplier with significant experience supplying the sector
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Ornithological Surveys
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Marine Mammals Surveys
Good capacity and some experience in supplying the sector
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Survey Vessels
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Onshore Surveys
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Access Vessels
- DEVEX - Project Management & QA Services: Project Management & Programme Management
Capabilities to supply, but no/limited experience in the sector
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Met Mast Survey & Inspection
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Meteorological & Metocean Sensors
- DEVEX - Project Management & QA Services: QA Management & Document Control
Ambitions to diversify in the sector
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Seabed Bethnic Surveys
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Geophysical Surveys
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Geotech Surveys
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Aux Systems including power supplies & navigational aids
- Pre-Construction Development Phase (DEVEX): Front End Engineering & Design Studies
- DEVEX - Project Management & QA Services: QS & Financial Management
- DEVEX - Project Management & QA Services: Health & Safety Services
Other services offered
- Our team and expertise have grown considerably since 2007. This includes staff members not only at our base in Cumbria, but all over the country. This level of expertise allows us to provide environmental consultancy nationwide and overseas, supplying high quality data reports to companies, balancing the demands of sustainable development, such as wind farms, with consideration and conservation of the natural environment, both on land and at sea.Over the years we have worked with many companies who have (like us) considered the impact of their work on our environment. We’re proud to have received fantastic feedback from our customers and know this, alongside our accreditation, will give other companies confidence in the high standard of work we do.
Case studies
Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm Ornithology EIA technical reports – Client: SSE HiDef completed the preparation of ornithology technical appendices to the EIA and HRA, being generated by other consultancies for what is currently projected to be one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms with potential to deliver 4.1GW. The technical reporting consisted of baseline data analyses from offshore digital aerial surveys, including density surface modelling using MRSea; stochastic Collision Risk Models (and preparation of the Band spreadsheets); displacement/barrier effects analysis (using SeabORD)); population viability analysis; apportionment using multiple methods; and preparation of an ornithology ecosystem approach.
Contract type: Ornithology Technical appendices
Value: £310,000.00
HiDef have been fully involved in complex stakeholder engagement through an Ornithology Road Map process. The technical reporting required for this project will set the standard for the EIA and HRA preparation in ScotWind and further afield. We will also be providing post-application support to the Client as required for the ornithology receptors through the examination and determination process.
Marine Scotland - a stochastic Collision Risk Model for seabirds In 2017 and 2018 HiDef developed the new stochastic Collision Risk Model (sCRM) for Marine Scotland Science in partnership with Sue King Consulting and DMP Statistical Solutions. We addressed the project requirements through a comprehensive stakeholder survey to identify the needs of industry, statutory advisors and NGOs. A new online shiny application was created using the coding by Masden (2015) of the Band (2012) CRM as a basis. This online tool allows the uncertainty in the inputs to CRM to be correctly incorporated into the outputs of predicted collision mortality.
Contract type: Collision Risk Monitoring
Value: £185,000.00
This online tool is currently being recommended by JNCC as a replacement to the Band (2012) MS Excel spreadsheets for offshore wind farm consent applications, and sCRM along with the expanded sCRM tool (Caneco, 2022), which built on HiDef’s work by McGregor et al. (2018) is now recommended by NatureScot in their 2023 Collision Risk Modelling guidance. This project demonstrates that HiDef’s deep understanding of collision risk modelling of seabirds, a key aspect for any offshore wind farm EIA, can help de-risk the consenting process for our clients.
