Infrared image of Malibu. Source: Valtus Imagery Services, Hexagon Imaging Program (HxIP), 2023
Written by Mina Nada
AI isn’t going to rewrite California’s environmental laws.
CEQA isn’t going anywhere. Jurisdictional reviews, site-specific studies, and mitigation plans will still need to be written, reviewed, revised, and defended.
But AI is changing how we do the work. Not in flashy headlines. Not in speculative think pieces. But in the day-to-day workflows, the ones that separate a good environmental consulting firm from a great one.
At Envicom Corporation, we’re not asking “How will AI change GIS?”
We’re asking “How can we use it to make our work better today?”
And the answer, more often than not, is quietly powerful.
Efficiency with Integrity
AI’s impact on GIS (and environmental consulting more broadly) isn’t just about saving time. It’s about reallocating time.
When you automate routine, rules-based tasks, you're not just shaving hours off a project; you’re buying back clarity, focus, and quality.
You’re freeing up your GIS analyst to focus on symbology and clarity in map design. You're giving your bio team more time to synthesize their site observations into clearer assessments. You're allowing your paleo and cultural experts to spend more time interpreting history, not formatting reports. But none of this works if the AI tools we use aren’t built on precision.
That’s why every day, we put our ego aside and ask a simple question:
Is this the right tool for the right job?
That’s it. That’s the core practice.
Because using AI is not a flex. It’s not a pitch. It’s a means to an end. Our clients don’t care if we used an LLM or a GPT.
Let’s Talk About the Tree Model
Take our tree model. Instead of manually identifying and digitizing tree locations, we developed an in-house AI model to automatically generate tree canopies for our tree reports from the data collected by our biologists.
What used to take days can now be turned around in hours, leaving our team more time for analysis and decision-making, not rote digitization. When you're working in regulated environments like California, speed isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.
Agencies (US Forest Service, CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife), clients (housing developers), and county governments alike expect clean data, accurate assessments, and defensible reports. If you're slow, you’re out. If you're inaccurate, you're done.
This example below is the type of map we can automate specific geospatial tasks:
An example of a Tree Impacts Map for a development project
So we can focus our work on refining other end-use products like this:
An example of resilience mapping for grazing suitability
Supporting the Whole Team, Not Just the Map
As a geospatial analyst, I see the final map product as a mirror, in that it reflects every step of the process. The better we automate data cleaning, field data integration, or imagery classification, the more time I can spend making maps that communicate. That tell a story clearly, at the right scale, for the right decision-makers.
But this goes beyond mapping.
We use AI tools to support our biologists, not replace their judgment. Our automation helps them identify patterns, surface key indicators faster, and navigate dense datasets easier.
We use AI to help our paleo and cultural teams structure their reports and pull from large corpuses of past records, before a site visit ever happens.
And we don’t shout about it.
Because the goal is not to prove we use AI. The goal is to improve the outcome.
We stay competitive by being efficient. But we stay relevant by being right.
What Clients Actually Care About
No client has ever asked us which deep learning model we used. They ask:
“Is this accurate?”
“Does this report complete my permitting requirements?”
“Will this hold up under review?”
They care that our wetland delineation map is accurate. That our report holds up in permitting meetings. That our analysis helps them move forward with confidence. The technology supports the work. It doesn’t define it.
That’s the lighthouse. Not the tech. The accuracy of our environmental analysis. That’s how we serve our clients and our community. AI helps us get there. Faster, yes. But also with more confidence.
Because when used well, AI doesn’t replace expertise, it amplifies it.
Developing in-house web-mapping applications for analyzing market size with geospatial data
Let’s Work Together
If you’re looking for environmental services that prioritize accuracy, efficiency, and regulatory compliance, without the fluff, we’d love to connect. Whether it's biological surveys, GIS support, or full-scope CEQA/NEPA documentation, our team is here to get the job done right.
Feel free to reach out to me directly, or contact Travis Cullen at tcullen@envicomcorporation.com to learn more about how we can support your next project.
Let’s build smarter solutions, together.