Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

What Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute does

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) is a not-for-profit, arm's-length scientific institute founded in 2007 and headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It operates a provincial-scale biodiversity monitoring program covering 1,656 gridded sites across Alberta's six natural regions, tracking status and trends for 3,416+ species across eight taxonomic groups (amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, birds, bryophytes, lichens, mammals, soil mites, and vascular plants) and producing a 117-feature Human Footprint Inventory updated annually. ABMI delivers through a federated model with three core partners — the University of Alberta, InnoTech Alberta, and the University of Calgary — which provide taxonomic capacity, bioacoustic research, lidar and remote sensing infrastructure, and Monitoring Centre operations in Vegreville and Calgary.

The product portfolio consists of open-access data platforms (Open Data Portal, Mapping Portal, Biodiversity Browser, WildTrax, and the Online Reporting for Biodiversity/ORB tool), derived geospatial products (Alberta-wide Wetland Inventory, HydroPatterns, Human Footprint Inventory, airborne lidar and imagery), and monitoring programs (remote cameras, autonomous recording units, Oil Sands Region BADR monitoring, and the Wetland Atlas published in 2023). The technology stack combines remote sensing (Sentinel-1/2 satellite imagery and airborne lidar), environmental sensors (ARUs, camera traps), environmental DNA, and machine learning pipelines (neural networks for wetland classification, fully-automated HydroPatterns workflow, AI-based Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem mapping) running on Google Earth Engine. ABMI makes its code publicly available through GitHub and manages 66+ million photos and 620,000+ audio recordings contributed by 200+ organizations via WildTrax.

ABMI's business model is non-profit grant-funded: core operating revenue comes from the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada, including the multi-stakeholder Oil Sands Monitoring Program, with supplementary funding from collaborative research agreements with industry, Indigenous communities, and academia. All data, products, and publications are distributed free of charge under an open-data philosophy, with no commercial pricing for core monitoring outputs. Customer and stakeholder segments span government agencies (regulators, land-use planners), industrial developers (environmental impact assessment, regulatory compliance), Indigenous communities (community-based monitoring), academia (research access), and the general public (biodiversity education). The organization has expanded into national cross-jurisdictional work via the 2022-launched Biodiversity Pathways affiliate.

Name

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

Legal name

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

Website

https://abmi.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) is a 2007-founded non-profit scientific institute that delivers provincial-scale biodiversity and human footprint monitoring across Alberta through open-access data platforms and federated delivery with three partner universities. It serves government, industry, Indigenous communities, academia, and the public with standardized ecosystem health data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Monitoring Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity Baseline Studies & Long-Term Monitoring Programs (EUAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ecological/Habitat & Land-Use Change Modeling (Biodiversity, Conservation Planning) (EUAHAKAI), Environmental Data Integration, ETL & Interoperability (APIs, Standards, Data Pipelines) (EUAHAKAB), Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Biodiversity monitoring
• Environmental data products
• Wildlife habitat mapping
• Geospatial analytics
• Open ecological data

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core operational funding from Government of Alberta and Government of Canada for environmental monitoring programs including Oil Sands Monitoring Program
2. Collaborative Research Agreements: Funded research collaborations with industry partners, government agencies, and Indigenous communities for specific monitoring projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) tracks changes in wildlife, habitats, and human footprint across Alberta through systematic field surveys, remote sensing, and species monitoring. It delivers open-access biodiversity data products, geospatial datasets, and analytical platforms — including the Open Data Portal, Biodiversity Browser, Mapping Portal, and WildTrax — to support land-use planning, conservation, and environmental management.

Product overview

The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) operates as a biodiversity monitoring organization rather than a traditional software company. Their product portfolio consists of data platforms, monitoring programs, and geospatial products centered on Alberta's biodiversity. The core data access platforms include the Open Data Portal for downloading all data products, the Biodiversity Browser as an encyclopedia of species information, the Mapping Portal for interactive geospatial visualization, and the WildTrax platform for managing environmental sensor data. Key data products include the Alberta-wide Wetland Inventory (2021), HydroPatterns surface water mapping dataset, Human Footprint Inventory covering 117 feature types, and the Wetland Atlas (2023). These are supported by monitoring programs using remote cameras, autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic monitoring, taxonomic identification services, and geospatial analysis using satellite imagery and lidar. The ABMI GitHub provides public access to analytical code. All data and products are freely available under an Open Data philosophy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WildTrax: An online platform for managing, storing, processing, sharing, and discovering environmental sensor data. As of 2023, it manages over 66 million photos and 620,000 audio recordings from over 200 organizations.
• Biodiversity Browser
• Biodiversity Pathways
• Earth Observation Insights Unit
• Online Reporting for Biodiversity (ORB) Tool

Products and services

• Open Data Portal Public portal providing free access to all ABMI data products including species observations, habitat data, human footprint inventories, and geospatial layers. Targeted at researchers, government planners, industry, and the public.
• Biodiversity Browser Alberta's encyclopedia of life providing species profiles, habitat associations, impacts of human footprint, and predicted relative abundance for monitored species. Used by general public, educators, and researchers.
• Mapping Portal Interactive web platform for exploring, visualizing, and creating custom maps using ABMI geospatial data and layers including habitat value, species detections, and human footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,400 species monitored and documented across Alberta
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary delivery partner providing capacity in taxonomic identification, bioacoustic research, WildTrax platform development, and academic research partnerships. Staff and operations housed at university facilities in Edmonton.
• InnoTech AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner facilitating Monitoring Centre operations from Vegreville facility and providing leadership for Information and Science Centres from Edmonton and Calgary offices. Technical and facility infrastructure support.
• University of CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner with long-standing research agreement for remote sensing, geospatial technologies, vegetation recovery assessment, and rangeland condition research.
• Oil Sands Monitoring ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated environmental monitoring in Oil Sands Region as part of OSM's Terrestrial Biological Monitoring theme since 2018. Delivers Before-After-Dose-Response (BADR) monitoring program.
• Environment and Protected Areas (Alberta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in Oil Sands Region monitoring, human footprint mapping, and provincial environmental monitoring initiatives.
• Environment and Climate Change CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal government partner in Oil Sands Region monitoring and environmental assessment programs.
• Indigenous Communities (various)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-Based Monitoring and Engagement program working with First Nations and Métis communities on Indigenous-led biodiversity monitoring, supporting community-driven questions and traditional knowledge integration.
• Biodiversity PathwaysmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliate launched in 2022 supporting cross-provincial monitoring work including caribou recovery research and environmental sensor data management.
• Alberta Lake Management SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on algal bloom monitoring in Alberta lakes using satellite remote sensing.
• Government of Northwest TerritoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-governmental collaboration on cross-jurisdictional biodiversity monitoring.
• Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in caribou habitat recovery programs and forest resource improvement initiatives supporting biodiversity monitoring.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Birds Canada: Canadian nonprofit running long-term bird population monitoring programs and citizen science initiatives. Highly comparable to ABMI's ARU-based bird monitoring and broad open-data philosophy for wildlife tracking in Canada.
• NatureServe: US-based nonprofit network providing biodiversity data, species habitat mapping, and conservation status assessments across North America. Directly comparable to ABMI as a scientific biodiversity monitoring institution producing standardized indicators and serving government/industry/Indigenous stakeholders.
• Canadian Wildlife Federation: Canadian national nonprofit delivering wildlife monitoring, citizen science, and habitat conservation programs. Comparable as a federally-oriented, Canada-wide biodiversity nonprofit with similar stakeholder mix and educational mandate.
• Ducks Unlimited Canada: Canadian nonprofit focused on wetland conservation and waterfowl habitat monitoring. Comparable to ABMI in Canadian wetland mapping, provincial-scale habitat assessment, and government/industry funding model for environmental stewardship.

Broad incumbents

• UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology: UK government-funded research center delivering national-scale ecological monitoring, hydrology, and biodiversity data products. Comparable to ABMI's model of multi-decadal provincial-scale biodiversity data and stakeholder-funded environmental science.
• USGS Biological Informatics Program: US federal program providing national biodiversity data infrastructure (BISON, NBII). Comparable to ABMI in delivering government-funded, standardized, open biodiversity data products at national/provincial scale.

Regional players

• Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (Environment and Climate Change Canada): Canadian federal program coordinating ecological monitoring across jurisdictions. Comparable to ABMI's cross-jurisdictional coordination, standardized indicators, and role as a backbone for Canadian biodiversity monitoring.

Emerging players

• iNaturalist: Global citizen-science platform aggregating biodiversity observations including AI-assisted species identification. Comparable in providing open-access biodiversity data products at scale, though driven by volunteer-collected rather than systematic monitoring data.
• NatureMetrics: Commercial biodiversity monitoring and eDNA analytics company serving corporate ESG and TNFD reporting. Comparable as a biodiversity data provider using technology (eDNA, ML) but differentiated by a commercial, venture-funded model versus ABMI's nonprofit open-data approach.
• Map of Life: Global biodiversity informatics platform integrating species occurrence data and predictive distribution models. Directly comparable to ABMI's Biodiversity Browser, species-habitat models, and predictive relative abundance products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abbiodiversity
• GitHubgithub.com/abmi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8Df98KNfCrKL6uWAzQXaJw
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlbertaBiodiversityMonitoringInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alberta-biodiversity-monitoring-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/abbiodiversity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute