ID: 2142
Presenting Author: Brandon Fox
Session: 660 - Using Digital Tools to Enhance Transparency & Collaboration during Impact Assessments
Status: pending
The presentation will focus on introducing an innovative, advanced GIS based digital engine for linear routing technology as an antidote to eroding public and indigenous trust in the process
The crisis of public and Indigenous trust in Environmental Assessment (EA) is jeopardizing critical linear infrastructure, leading to systemic project delays and contributing to the IAIA 2026 theme of misinformation. We feel the root problem lies in the traditional, analogue EA workflow, which is perceived as a "black box" that lacks transparency, suffers from perceived influence, and inadequately integrates Indigenous Knowledge (IK) as a late-stage check-box.
This presentation introduces the Collaborative Routing Model, powered by Advanced Geospatial Routing Technology (The Digital Engine), as a definitive antidote to the trust deficit. This model replaces subjective decision-making with objective, quantifiable data and a collaborative workflow. The Digital Engine uses Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to translate all constraints (environmental, socio-economic, technical, and IK) into quantifiable "resistance scores" to create a single, shared "Resistance Map".
The technology's core contribution to trust is its ability to run real-time scenario analysis during stakeholder sessions. By making the entire process visually transparent, stakeholders can instantly see how their inputs and weighted criteria change the optimal route's path and cost, eliminating the "black box" problem. The system formally captures IK as a weighted data layer, transforming consultation into a visual co-creation process. This shift from defending a route to objectively calculating the best path is the necessary governance imperative to restore confidence and counter misinformation.
Brandon Fox, MCIP, RPP, is a Senior Environmental Planner, Discipline Lead and Partner with Dillon Consulting Limited, a 100% Canadian Employee Owned Multi-disciplinary consulting firm.