Geographic Information Systems
Computer-based geographic information systems (GIS) permit the synthesis and display of virtually unlimited sources and type of socioeconomic and physical data, as long as the data can be computer coded with reference to a common geographic base.

Paper to Digital Map Conversion
Perhaps the most painful operation in establishing a GIS is the conversion of existing paper documents into a digital format. Data conversion is typically performed with the use of a digitizing tablet, a technique that at best is laborious, time consuming, and error prone due to operator fatigue.

Education
Having the necessary hardware and software does not guarantee its proper use. Having a knowledgeable workforce is critical to project success.

Who are we?

Maclean Consultants Ltd is a small business which was incorporated in the State of Wisconsin in 1982.

We specialize only in the fields of remote sensing and geographic information systems. We are not part of a larger organization with many diverse interests. Hence our future depends on providing you with the best service and product possible.Our service is innovative ideas; our product is information.

The construction of a geographic information infrastructure will be the great task of many organizations for the 21st century. As with any infrastructure, a sound foundation, top quality building materials and expert construction techniques determine the quality of the final product.

You would never let someone with only two weeks of night school carpentry build your house. Why would you let someone with only a GIS software short course build your geographic information infrastructure?

The advantage of Maclean Consultants working for you is the surety that the job will be done correctly.

Many companies can afford the hardware and software to do this type of work. Most however have little of the knowledge necessary to derive the full power of these resources for the benefit of your project. Maclean Consultants has the hardware, the software, and most importantly the knowledgeable personnel to do the job right!

Key Personnel
Dr. Gordon A. Maclean
President

Vitae:
PhD Remote Sensing, MS Forestry, University of Wisconsin.
Vice-President, Western Great Lakes Region, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
GIS Working Group Chair, Society of American Foresters
Guest Co-Editor Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 1994 GIS Special Issue.

Dr. Ann L. Maclean
Vice-President

Vitae:
PhD Remote Sensing/Forestry, University of Wisconsin.
Asst. Professor, Michigan Technological University.
Chair GIS Division, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
GIS Working Group Chair, Society of American Foresters.
Guest Co-Editor Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 1994 GIS Special Issue.

What we can do for you:

Digital Image Processing
Data Source Identification
Data Acquisition
Ancillary Information Collection
Image Rectification
Image Enhancement
Image Classification
Field Verification
Conversion to your GIS Format
Output Production

Geographic Information Systems
Data Requirements Assessment
Data Collection
Map Conversion
Database Establishment
Database Maintenance
Database Manipulation
Database Processing
Output Generation and Presentation

Paper to Digital Map Conversion
Document Scanning
Raster to Vector Conversion
Georeferencing Converted Data
Edge Checking
Quality Verification
Topology Generation
GIS Format Conversion

Education
One or Two Day Lectures
Hands On Workshops
Coordinated Visuals/Notebooks
Topics Selected by You
Material Customized to Target Audience
Special Jargon Avoidance TechniquesOur Clients Include:

What we have accomplished:

Our Clients Include
U.S. National Park Service, Isle Royale Natl Park
U.S. Army, Yuma Proving Grounds, Yuma, Arizona
U.S. Forest Service, Ottawa National Forest
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan
Lac du Flambeau Indian Community, Wisconsin
Western Upper Peninsula Development and Planning Region, Houghton, Michigan
Marquette County, Michigan
Oneida County, Wisconsin
City of Houghton, Michigan
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Sagola, Michigan
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Durango, Colorado
Ford Land Development Corp
Northwoods Wilderness Recovery
The Nature Conservancy
U.P. Engineers and Architects

Partial Reference List
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (Since 1986, Ongoing)
Maclean Consultants has been under a long term contract with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Water Regulation and Zoning, to perform manual photo interpretation of aerial photography for it's Wetlands Mapping Update Program. During this period we have mapped and cover typed wetland locations over one half of the state, amounting to over 4 million acres of wetlands.

Griffith Biological Services (2000-02)
Compile field data of several avian species into GIS environment for Camp Pendelton, California. Produced both digital output for inclusion in a ArcView environment, and hardcopy output of data overlaid on digital raster graphic representations of USGS quadrangle maps for the area of study.

Michigan Dept of Natural Resources (1998-1999)
Maclean Consultants is one of a few private corporations nationwide to perform image analysis services in conjunction with the GAP Analysis Program. Analysis includes digital analysis of multidate, co-registered imagery covering the northern half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Manual interpretation of NAPP (1:40,000) photography, and integration of digital National Wetland Inventory data were used to develop masks for classification accuracy improvement. Post processing includes comprehensive field accuracy assessment and integration into an ArcInfo environment.

School Bus Route Optimization (1998)
Utilization GIS and route optimization software to increase school bussing efficiencies across seven separate school districts. Project requires the integration of data bases from the several school districts in several different formats and coordinating the development of common goals between districts.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge (1997)
Manual interpretation of 1:10,000 scale color infrared aerial photography. Interpretation concentrating on detail analysis of wetland and forested land cover, minimum mapping unit of 1 acre, over 90,000 acre refuge. Classification system was developed by Maclean Consultants based on the sometimes differing requirements of mammal, avian, fishery, and forestry management objectives. Interpretation transferred to near ortho imagery and georeference, scan digitized and converted into ArcInfo format.

Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region (1997)
Manual interpretation of 1:24,000 scale color infrared aerial photography and 1:40,000 scale black and white infrared NAPP aerial photography, along 403 linear miles of Lake Superior shoreline in the state of Michigan. The Coastal Zone (as defined by the U.S. Army C.O. E.) Was interpreted in detail for current land use/land cover. Interpretation was digitized and converted to ArcInfo format.

Ottawa National Forest (1996)
Landsat Thematic Mapper data is used in this project to determine the location of aspen stands in National Forest vicinity. Information classes will include three age groups of aspen stands related to stand structure. Information to be provided in ArcInfo and Erdas format.

Ottawa National Forest (1996)
Conversion of current forest compartment maps to a digital (ArcInfo) format. Present maps are manually transferred to an orthophoto quadrangle base. The basemap is digitized and corrected, where necessary, to match existing digital features.

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (1994)
Landsat Thematic Mapper data was used in this project to determine the location of aspen stands in southwest Colorado. The results were converted to an ArcInfo format for inclusion in the corporate GIS. Also instructed personnel on the use of GIS in general and ArcInfo specifically.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources (1994)
The Wildlife Division required updated land cover information for Michigan's Upper Peninsula to better manage the area's white-tail deer population. A new hybrid unsupervised/supervised image processing technique was developed to meet the rigor of the projects classification scheme.

The Nature Conservancy (1993)
Work for the Michigan Chapter of The Nature Conservancy represented an extension of the aforementioned Michigan DNR project. Maclean Consultants provided The Nature Conservancy with detailed wetlands information on that portion of the Lake Huron watershed contained in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds (1993)
Paper to digital conversion of 16 Defense Mapping Agency 1:50,000 scale maps. The digital elements were attributed in ArcInfo, transferred from DOS to UNIX and installed on a Hewlett Packard workstation equipped with Genasys' Genamap GIS software.

City of Houghton, Michigan (1992)
Tax Assessors Maps were converted to a digital format for use in AutoCAD. These maps were based on both deed and plat information, hence some map edges would not align properly with adjacent maps. The source of most errors were identified and properly compensated for to generate a seamless digital base that matched actual conditions.