Utility Network · Enterprise GIS · Drone Mapping
15 years of precision geospatial expertise
Midspan Geospatial Ltd bridges the gap between raw spatial data and real operational decisions. We are a Calgary-based independent GIS consultancy with over 15 years of hands-on experience — delivering the technical depth of a large firm with the responsiveness and accountability of a principal-led practice.
Every engagement is led and delivered by a GISP-certified GIS professional. No junior staff. No handoffs. The expert you engage is the expert who does the work.
ArcGIS Utility Network migration, enterprise geodatabase administration, and field workflow deployment for electric, gas, water, and telecom operators.
Explore →Permitting maps, ESA support, reclamation monitoring, and regulatory exhibit production for AER, AEP, and ECCC submissions.
Explore →Asset inventory, web GIS portals, zoning maps, and capital planning for Alberta municipalities and counties.
Explore →TC Advanced RPAS operations with full in-house GIS processing — orthomosaics, DTMs, asset inspection, and corridor surveys.
Explore →Most GIS consultancies assign your project to whoever is available. At Midspan, every engagement is led by a principal with GISP certification, three Esri technical certifications, an Advanced RPAS pilot certificate, and 15 years of utility and environmental GIS experience.
Internationally recognized, vendor-neutral credential. Held by fewer than 30,000 practitioners worldwide. Scores in formal RFP evaluations.
One of the most technically demanding Esri certifications available. Direct specialization in the platform Canadian utilities are migrating to now.
Transport Canada Advanced certification for controlled airspace operations. Capture to GIS-ready product — no vendor handoff.
AER, AEP, ECCC, and Impact Assessment Act requirements built into every spatial deliverable from the start.
Defined scope, fixed deliverables, clear timeline. Ideal for migrations, deployments, and data projects with a defined end state.
Committed monthly hours for ongoing GIS administration, analysis, or field workflow support. Predictable capacity, no procurement overhead.
GIS capacity for prime engineering and environmental firms during peak permitting seasons or specialized project requirements.
Whether you need a Utility Network implementation, overflow GIS capacity, or a drone mapping survey — reach out for a no-obligation conversation.
Your GIS Partner in Western Canada
ArcGIS Utility Network migration, enterprise geodatabase administration, and field workflow deployment for Alberta's electric, gas, water, and telecom operators.
Canadian utilities are in the middle of a mandatory migration from Esri's legacy Geometric Network to ArcGIS Utility Network. The new platform is more capable — but far more complex. Implementation requires specialized expertise that most utilities don't have in-house.
Midspan holds the Esri ArcGIS Utility Network Associate certification and brings 15 years of utility GIS experience to every migration — making us one of the very few independent practitioners in Western Canada qualified to deliver this work professionally.
Transmission and distribution GIS, outage analytics, vegetation encroachment management
Distribution network GIS, HCA mapping, class location analysis, Pipeline Referencing
Distribution and collection network GIS, hydraulic model integration, cross-connection control
Fibre and cable network GIS, infrastructure inventory, coverage analysis
Talk to a certified specialist before you start. A 30-minute conversation can save months of rework.
From permitting exhibits to reclamation monitoring — precise geospatial deliverables that hold up to AER, AEP, and ECCC regulatory scrutiny.
Environmental consulting in Alberta runs on tight regulatory timelines and detailed spatial documentation requirements. A map that fails agency review doesn't just delay a project — it can derail it.
Midspan delivers environmental GIS support as a specialist subconsultant and as a direct service to operators. We understand Alberta's regulatory landscape — AER, AEP, ECCC, and the Impact Assessment Act — and build that understanding into every exhibit we produce.
Overflow GIS capacity for Stantec, WSP, Tetra Tech, GHD, and boutique Alberta firms during peak permitting seasons
GIS subconsultant support for engineering firms without dedicated GIS staff — from single figures to full data packages
HCA delineation, class location mapping, and pipeline corridor GIS for AER regulatory compliance
Pre-construction environmental constraint mapping and development permit support
Midspan can mobilize quickly for urgent deliverables. Reach out today to discuss your timeline.
Asset inventory, web GIS portals, capital planning maps, and open data platforms for Alberta municipalities, counties, and regional governments.
Smaller Alberta municipalities often have no dedicated GIS staff — yet they manage complex asset inventories, respond to public information requests, and submit capital budgets that depend on accurate spatial data. Midspan fills that gap as a flexible, on-demand GIS resource without the cost of a full-time hire.
For larger municipalities and counties, we provide specialized capacity for specific projects — ArcGIS Enterprise deployments, web map development, or data migration — where internal teams need focused expert support.
Midspan provides municipalities with expert GIS capacity on demand — without the cost of a full-time position.
Transport Canada Advanced RPAS operations with full in-house GIS processing. One provider. One workflow. Survey-grade results delivered directly to your ArcGIS environment.
Most drone mapping engagements involve two separate vendors: a drone operator who captures data and a GIS team that processes it. The handoff between them introduces delays, interpretation errors, and coordinate system mismatches that erode the value of the original survey.
Midspan eliminates that gap. With a Transport Canada Advanced RPAS certificate and 15 years of GIS expertise under one roof, we capture, process, georeference, and integrate aerial data directly into your ArcGIS environment — delivering production-ready layers, not just raw imagery.
RGB, radiometric thermal, and multispectral payloads. RTK positioning module for survey-grade accuracy without ground control points.
Industry-standard photogrammetric processing for orthomosaics, point clouds, and DEMs. NSSDA-compliant accuracy reporting on all deliverables.
Systematic mission planning with overlap, GSD, and altitude parameters optimized per project type and accuracy requirement.
All operations conducted under Canadian Aviation Regulations Part IX RPAS provisions. Nav Canada RPAS portal authorization for controlled airspace.
One call replaces two vendors. Midspan handles capture, processing, and GIS integration end-to-end.
No junior staff. No project handoffs. Every engagement delivered by the certified principal who signs the proposal.
Ibe is a GISP-certified Geographic Information Systems Professional with over 15 years of hands-on GIS experience across electric, gas, water, environmental, and engineering sectors. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Ibe founded Midspan Geospatial Ltd to deliver the technical depth of a large GIS consultancy with the direct accountability of a sole practitioner.
Over a decade and a half, Ibe has built expertise spanning the full ArcGIS enterprise stack — from legacy Geometric Network migrations to current-generation Utility Network implementations, from enterprise geodatabase design on SQL Server to drone photogrammetry integrated directly into ArcGIS Online. The breadth is real, and it is backed by credentials that are objective and verifiable.
Clients across Western Canada's utility, environmental, and engineering sectors choose Midspan because they get the certified expert on every call, every deliverable, every project — not a salesperson followed by a junior analyst.
The GISP is the only internationally recognized, vendor-neutral professional credential in GIS. Held by fewer than 30,000 practitioners worldwide, it validates education, professional experience, and contributions to the profession. Government and utility clients increasingly require or score the GISP in formal procurement evaluation criteria.
ArcGIS Utility Network is Esri's current-generation utility data model, replacing the legacy Geometric Network across the industry. This certification validates hands-on knowledge of domain networks, structure networks, subnetwork configuration, trace networks, and connectivity rules — the core components of every UN implementation. One of the most technically demanding Esri certifications available.
Validates competency across the full ArcGIS Enterprise stack: Portal, ArcGIS Server, Data Store, and Web Adaptor deployment; federated server configuration; Active Directory integration; security hardening; high-availability architecture; and upgrade management. Enables Midspan to deliver end-to-end ArcGIS platform work without a separate infrastructure vendor.
The Advanced RPAS certificate is Transport Canada's higher-tier drone pilot credential, authorizing operations in controlled airspace, complex operational environments, and over bystanders. Required by most commercial clients, insurers, and Alberta energy sector operators as a condition of site access for drone operations.
"The name Midspan references the critical midpoint of a utility infrastructure span — the point at which precision matters most, where the weight of a project transfers from design to reality. We operate at that same midpoint: between raw spatial data and the operational decisions that shape infrastructure, land, and communities."
Midspan Geospatial was founded on a belief that certified expertise and direct accountability produce better outcomes than organizational size. Clients working with us know exactly who is responsible for every map, every dataset, every implementation decision — and that person is reachable, accountable, and committed to their project's success.
NSSDA-compliant accuracy, FGDC-compliant metadata, and rigorous QA/QC on every deliverable. No shortcuts, regardless of timeline pressure.
The GISP designation carries a professional Code of Ethics. Every engagement is conducted under that standard — not just a contractual obligation.
Alberta's regulatory landscape — AER, AEP, ECCC, Impact Assessment Act — is built into deliverables from the start, not retrofitted at review.
GIS is a tool for decisions, not an end in itself. Every dataset, map, and workflow is designed around how the client will actually use it.
Whether you have a defined project or an evolving GIS challenge — start with a conversation.
Representative project capabilities across utility network, enterprise GIS, environmental, municipal, and drone mapping disciplines — reflecting 15 years of hands-on delivery.
Note: Client names are withheld in accordance with confidentiality obligations. Projects represent capabilities demonstrated across engagements.
Full migration of a regional electric distribution network from ArcGIS Geometric Network to ArcGIS Utility Network. Included domain network schema design, structure network configuration, subnetwork and tier definition, terminal assignment, connectivity rule development, and post-migration QA/QC validation across 40,000+ network features.
Designed and implemented a branch versioning strategy to replace traditional versioning, enabling concurrent field and office editing without conflict bottlenecks. Included geodatabase maintenance automation via Python and scheduled compression workflows.
Designed and deployed a field inspection workflow for hydrant, valve, and service connection inspection using ArcGIS Field Maps with high-accuracy GNSS integration. Configured offline map areas, sync workflows, and enterprise geodatabase integration for 8 field crews.
Designed and implemented a distributed ArcGIS Enterprise deployment including Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, and Data Store on Windows Server. Configured Active Directory integration, role-based access control, Web Adaptor with reverse proxy, and SSL certificates for external access.
Produced a full GIS map package for an Alberta Energy Regulator facility application including site location, project area, environmental constraint overlays, buffer zones, sensitive feature proximity, and land use maps. Delivered to AER submission specifications with FGDC-compliant metadata.
Established a seasonal drone survey program for reclamation monitoring at a pipeline right-of-way. Delivered georeferenced orthomosaics, disturbance footprint change detection, and vegetation recovery mapping each field season. All imagery integrated directly into ArcGIS Online for client access.
Delivered a complete GIS asset inventory for roads, sidewalks, storm drainage, streetlights, and parks infrastructure for a small Alberta municipality with no previous GIS program. Included field data collection using Survey123, geodatabase design, web map publishing, and staff training for ongoing maintenance.
Developed an FME workspace pipeline to automate conversion of AutoCAD DWG files to enterprise geodatabase features, with attribute mapping, coordinate system transformation, geometry validation, and automated error reporting. Reduced a 3-day manual process to under 2 hours per project.
Conducted a drone-based vegetation encroachment survey along 45km of distribution line corridor. Delivered RGB orthomosaics, vegetation proximity classification, and georeferenced encroachment records imported directly into the utility's ArcGIS Utility Network asset register for maintenance prioritization.
Developed a Python (arcpy) script library for scheduled geodatabase maintenance — compress, rebuild indexes, analyze datasets, version cleanup, and health reporting. Deployed as Windows Task Scheduler jobs with automated email reporting to GIS and IT administrators.
Delivered a full Phase I and Phase II ESA GIS package including historical land use mapping (aerial photo time series), contamination receptor proximity analysis, sensitive feature delineation, and regulatory figure production. Included NSSDA positional accuracy statement for all spatial datasets.
Configured an ArcGIS Hub open data portal and public web application providing residents, developers, and internal staff access to zoning, land use, infrastructure, and emergency services data. Included Experience Builder web app with property inquiry tools and zoning certificate lookup.
"We needed a Utility Network specialist who could hit the ground running — Midspan was the only independent consultant we found who actually held the certification and could demonstrate the knowledge to back it up."
"The combination of drone survey and GIS processing from one provider was exactly what we needed. No coordination between vendors, no data handoff issues — just clean deliverables integrated straight into our system."
"As a small town without any GIS capacity, we needed someone who could build something we could actually maintain ourselves. Midspan delivered a system our team uses every day — and trained us to keep it current."
Midspan takes on project-based, retainer, and subconsultant engagements across Western Canada. Reach out to discuss your scope and timeline.