JDMA has been involved in the location of almost every highway in northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba, including the location of a northern road network connecting the communities of Whale Cove, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet and Baker Lake, Nunavut, to destination points in northern Manitoba.
JDMA has worked on the location of an all-weather road linking northern First Nations communities along the east side of Lake Winnipeg with southern Manitoba. As part of a multidisciplinary consulting team, JDMA integrated environmental data, public consultation data and terrain information in a GIS to assist project proponents in comparing and evaluating several alternative route locations. The route selection process involved an initial wide corridor evaluation followed by more detailed mapping within preferred narrow corridors, and finally in the selection of a preferred route centreline. JDMA was responsible for route selection from satellite imagery and aerial photography as well as GIS data integration and presentation needed to facilitate public consultation. The study also entailed the use of a weighted route factor matrix to provide a quantitative means to compare different route alternatives based on terrain conditions, construction costs, alternative transportation methods, environmental factors, and social / cultural issues.