Western Heritage

What Western Heritage does

Western Heritage Services Inc. is an employee-owned Canadian firm founded in 1990 that delivers integrated cultural resource management, geomatics, UAV survey, near-surface geophysics, and community engagement services to resource-sector clients across western Canada and internationally. Its core offering spans archaeological surveys, heritage impact assessments, regulatory compliance, Indigenous consultation, and traditional land use studies for mining, petroleum, forestry, infrastructure, and Indigenous community clients. The company maintains seven Canadian offices (Saskatoon headquarters plus St. Albert, Calgary, Regina, Grande Prairie, Winnipeg, and Thunder Bay) and an international branch in Santiago, Chile, and has completed more than 2,000 projects since inception.

The company has built proprietary technology assets alongside its consulting practice, including the Environmental Footprint Monitoring Platform (EFMP), a satellite-based remote sensing platform with convolutional neural network integration for environmental and reclamation monitoring; vehicle-mounted and UAV-mounted LiDAR Mobile Mapping Systems with centimeter-level accuracy; a Portable Optically Stimulated Luminescence (POSL) Reader used among the first globally for heritage dating and stratigraphic analysis; and the SaskLander land access management application developed through an Innovation Saskatchewan challenge. It also operates as a certified reseller for Digital Globe satellite imagery and a distributor of LizardTech imagery software.

Western Heritage generates revenue primarily through professional services delivered on a quote-based, project-specific pricing model across five service lines (archaeology and heritage management, geomatics and remote sensing, UAV survey and inspection, geotechnical/geophysics, and community engagement), supplemented by software and satellite imagery resale. The GTM motion is enterprise field sales targeting government agencies and resource-sector companies, with senior permit-holders driving client relationships. The company is ISO 9001 certified, has maintained a Certificate of Recognition (COR) safety credential since 2007, and operates with ISNetworld and Complyworks accounts, supporting its standing as a qualified vendor for major resource-sector compliance work.

Name

Western Heritage

Legal name

Western Heritage Services Inc.

Website

https://westernheritage.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Western Heritage is an employee-owned Canadian firm, founded in 1990, providing integrated archaeological, geomatics, UAV, and geophysics services to mining, petroleum, forestry, and government clients across western Canada and internationally, supported by proprietary LiDAR and satellite-monitoring platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Archaeological and Heritage Management Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

akta.pro primary industry

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

Keywords

• Archaeological services
• Heritage resource management
• Geomatics consulting
• UAV LiDAR mapping
• Near-surface geophysics

Headquarters

HQ city

Saskatoon

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Archaeological and Heritage Management Services: Professional consulting services for Cultural Resource Management (CRM), including archaeological surveys, heritage impact assessments, historical research, Indigenous consultation, and regulatory compliance for development projects.
2. Geomatics and Remote Sensing Services: GIS, remote sensing, landcover mapping, environmental footprint monitoring, and geospatial analysis services provided as consulting engagements.
3. UAV Survey and Inspection Services: Aerial LiDAR mapping, photogrammetry, thermal inspection, and pipeline/facility inspection services using proprietary UAV systems.
4. Geotechnical Services: Near-surface geophysics including GPR, magnetometry, magnetic susceptibility analysis, stratigraphic mapping, soil micromorphology, and OSL profiling as standalone or integrated services.
5. Community Engagement Services: Stakeholder engagement planning, Indigenous consultation, traditional land use studies, and corporate social responsibility planning for resource development projects.
6. Satellite Imagery and Software Sales: Sale of satellite imagery (optical and radar) with spatial resolutions from 1km to 30cm, plus specialized imagery software (GeoExpress, MrSid). Western Heritage is a certified reseller for Digital Globe.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Western Heritage delivers integrated cultural resource management and geomatics services for resource industries, infrastructure, and government clients. Core offerings include archaeological surveys and heritage impact assessments, UAV/LiDAR aerial mapping, GIS and remote sensing, near-surface geophysics and geoarchaeology, Indigenous and community engagement, and satellite imagery distribution. The firm also develops proprietary technology products such as the Environmental Footprint Monitoring Platform (EFMP) and vehicle/UAV-mounted LiDAR mobile mapping systems.

Product overview

Western Heritage is a heritage management and geomatics company offering an integrated portfolio of services and technology products. The core offerings include Archaeology and Heritage Management, Geotechnical Solutions (near-surface geophysics and geoarchaeology), Community Engagement, and Geomatics Solutions. The company has developed proprietary technology products including the Environmental Footprint Monitoring Platform (EFMP) for satellite-based environmental monitoring, the SaskLander land access management application, and LiDAR Mobile Mapping Systems (both vehicle-based and UAV-based). Their UAV division provides aerial survey services with LiDAR, thermal, and optical mapping capabilities. Additional products include satellite imagery sales, custom GIS development, GPS mapping services, and remote sensing applications. The portfolio is delivered through offices across western Canada, with the geomatics division specializing in integrating these various technologies and services for resource development clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Western Heritage UAV: Provides LiDAR Mobile Mapping products and comprehensive UAV survey and inspection services including state-of-the-art mosaic mapping, point cloud, hyperspectral and thermal inspection to clients in Petroleum, Agriculture, Survey and Archaeology.
• Environmental Footprint Monitoring Platform (EFMP)
• SaskLander

Products and services

• Archaeology and Heritage Management Services Cultural resource management services including historical resource description and impact evaluation, archaeological surveys, assessments, excavation, and mitigation for regulatory compliance in mining, forestry, petroleum, infrastructure, and government projects.
• Western Heritage UAV (Aerial Survey and Inspection Services) Aerial LiDAR mobile mapping products and comprehensive UAV survey and inspection services including state-of-the-art mosaic mapping, point cloud, hyperspectral, and thermal inspection for petroleum, agriculture, survey, and archaeology clients.
• GIS & Remote Sensing / Geomatics Solutions GIS and remote sensing services including landcover mapping, remote sensing analysis, GIS modeling, heritage potential modeling, and data extraction from aerial and satellite imagery for resource development and government clients.
• Environmental Footprint Monitoring Platform (EFMP) Web-based satellite imagery and remote sensing platform that monitors and reports on vegetation health, growth, productivity, and surface water conditions in project areas, integrating convolution neural networks for surface water salinity estimation. Supports reclamation monitoring for mining, forestry, and petroleum clients.
• Geotechnical Solutions (Near-Surface Geophysics and Geoarchaeology) Near-surface geophysical studies and geoarchaeological services including Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), magnetometry, magnetic susceptibility, stratigraphic mapping, soil micromorphology, and OSL profiling for archaeological and heritage site investigation.
• Community Engagement Services Holistic engagement planning using the Cultural Landscape Protection Approach, incorporating both tangible and intangible values of cultural and natural characteristics, including Indigenous consultation, traditional land use studies, and corporate social responsibility planning for resource development projects.
• Imagery and Software Sales Distribution of satellite imagery (optical and radar) for every region of the world with spatial resolutions from 1 km to 30 cm as a certified reseller for Digital Globe, plus specialized imagery software (GeoExpress, MrSid) from LizardTech.
• SaskLander Land Access Management Application Land access management tool for rural property owners and operators that allows them to set allowable activities, schedule when activities can take place, and communicate via in-app landowner-permission requests. Developed as a winning solution to an Innovation Saskatchewan and SARM challenge.
• LiDAR Mobile Mapping System (Vehicle and UAV) Proprietary vehicle-based and UAV-based LiDAR systems that collect point clouds with 8 cm vertical and 5 cm horizontal accuracy (vehicle) or 5 cm vertical and 3 cm horizontal accuracy (UAV), used for building DTM, DEM, contour lines, and 3D models for road network verification and infrastructure mapping.
• Custom GIS Development Services Development of desktop and web-based GIS applications using ArcEngine, Visual Studio, SQL Server, Oracle, and ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise, or open-source software (Map Server, GeoServer, Open Layer), with field deployment via Collector and Survey123 for ArcGIS on iOS/Android mobile devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed over 2000 projects in Canada and around the world
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OFITEATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFITEAT and Western Heritage formed a partnership to provide environmental mapping and monitoring services to customers worldwide. With more than 45 years of combined experience, the partnership delivers valuable information for projects where environmental health and productivity are paramount.
• Digital GlobecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestern Heritage is a certified reseller for Digital Globe satellite imagery, providing optical and radar satellite imagery for every region of the world at resolutions from 1km to 30cm. Western Heritage's advantage is detailed technical knowledge of each satellite and its applications.
• Sensors & SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationWestern Heritage uses Sensors & Software GPR equipment, a leading Canadian manufacturer, for ground penetrating radar surveys. The SmartCart unit collects and displays data in real time and can be used across variable terrain.
• LizardTechminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestern Heritage distributes specialized imagery software including GeoExpress and MrSid compression services from LizardTech.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BGC Engineering: BGC is a Canadian geoscience and engineering consulting firm focused on resource-sector clients, with overlapping near-surface geophysics, terrain analysis, and environmental monitoring offerings.
• NV5 Geospatial: NV5 Geospatial provides LiDAR, GIS, and remote sensing services across North America, comparable to Western Heritage's geomatics and UAV LiDAR mobile mapping capabilities and customer base.
• Archaeological Services Inc. (ASI): ASI is a Canadian archaeological and heritage consulting firm with national reach, very comparable to Western Heritage in CRM services for development, infrastructure, and government clients.

Broad incumbents

• GHD: GHD is a global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with cultural heritage and geomatics capabilities addressing similar resource and infrastructure client needs in Canada and beyond.
• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a major environmental and engineering consulting firm with cultural resources, GIS, and remote sensing capabilities that overlap Western Heritage's multi-disciplinary heritage management model.
• WSP Global: WSP is a global professional services firm with strong Canadian resource-sector environmental and geotechnical offerings, competing for many of the same mining, petroleum, and infrastructure compliance mandates.
• Stantec: Stantec is a major global design and consulting firm offering environmental, cultural resource, and geomatics services across resource and infrastructure clients, directly overlapping Western Heritage's CRM and GIS practice.
• AECOM: AECOM provides environmental and cultural resource services globally, including archaeology, permitting, and remote sensing — overlapping Western Heritage's CRM and UAV inspection service lines.
• Dillon Consulting: Dillon is a Canadian-owned consulting firm offering planning, engineering, and environmental services including heritage/cultural resource support, with comparable public- and private-sector client mix.
• SLR Consulting: SLR provides environmental, advisory, and engineering services including heritage/cultural resource support to mining, energy, and infrastructure clients, competing for CRM mandates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-heritage
• Xx.com/WesternH
• Facebookfacebook.com/WH.Archaeology

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Heritage