When Hydrogeomorphology, Biology, Geomatics, and Fluvial Hydraulics Work Together: Avizo’s Integrated Approach

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A watercourse is not simply a flow to measure or a riverbank to stabilize. It is a living system where geomorphological processes, ecological dynamics, hydraulic challenges, and territorial realities intersect. Addressing such a system from a single angle risks solving one problem while creating another. This is why, at Avizo, we have chosen a fundamentally multidisciplinary approach.

Why Multidisciplinarity Is Not a Luxury, but a Necessity

Hydrogeomorphology — the discipline that studies the action of water as an agent of landscape transformation — provides the foundational diagnosis: how the watercourse functions, what erosion and sedimentation processes are at work, and what its mobility and likely evolution are. But this diagnosis, however precise, is not sufficient on its own to design a lasting intervention.

A hydrogeomorphologist can identify that a riverbank is actively eroding, but a biologist is needed to determine whether that bank supports sensitive wildlife habitat. The geomatician provides the spatial dimension that situates the problem within its watershed and detects trends invisible from the ground. The fluvial hydraulics engineer translates all of these findings into an engineering solution that accounts for every constraint. It is this continuous interaction between disciplines that produces truly adapted solutions.

Avizo’s HGM Team: Four Disciplines, One Goal

The team is made up of 4 dedicated hydrogeomorphologists — a rare concentration of expertise in Québec — but its real strength comes from its integration with Avizo’s other specialists. In practice, from the very start of a mandate, our hydrogeomorphologists work closely with biologists who assess ecological impacts, conduct faunal and floral inventories, and identify environmental sensitivities; geomaticians who produce high-precision environmental mapping through remote sensing and spatial analyses; and fluvial hydraulics engineers who handle numerical modelling (1D, 2D, 3D), river ice analysis, and infrastructure design.

The key phrase here is “from the very start.” At Avizo, multidisciplinarity does not come at the end of the process as a “validation.” It is present from the diagnostic phase, allowing each discipline to influence the working assumptions of the others and to produce a coherent overall diagnosis.

How the Synergy Works in Practice

Consider a typical example: a mandate to restore a watercourse in an agricultural setting. The hydrogeomorphologist first establishes the functional diagnosis of the watercourse — sediment budget, mobility analysis, identification of active erosion processes. At the same time, the geomatician produces a detailed watershed map that reveals spatial dynamics that ground-level observation cannot capture. The biologist identifies sensitive habitats and species present, guiding restoration choices. The fluvial hydraulics engineer models flow conditions to validate scenarios and size the structures.

The result? A solution that respects the natural dynamics of the watercourse, protects wildlife habitats, is hydraulically calibrated, and integrates into the territorial context. No single discipline could have produced this outcome alone.

A Philosophy: Working With the River, Not Against It

Avizo’s multidisciplinary approach is rooted in a broader philosophy: promoting the equilibrium of watercourses to ensure the long-term viability of infrastructure and land uses. In practice, this means minimizing interventions by targeting only truly necessary actions, maximizing the physical and ecological health of watercourses by respecting their natural processes, and accommodating foreseeable hazards related to erosion, sedimentation, and flooding rather than attempting to eliminate them.

This philosophy can only exist within a multidisciplinary framework. It is the combined perspective of the hydrogeomorphologist, the biologist, the geomatician, and the engineer that makes it possible to determine what is “truly necessary” and to design solutions where bioengineering, hydraulic modelling, and field science work in harmony.

Integrated Services, Never Siloed

Thanks to this multidisciplinary team, Avizo offers services that feed into one another rather than being delivered in isolation.

Hydrogeomorphology: diagnostic studies, sediment budgets, watercourse restoration, mobility assessments, fluvial dynamics characterization, riverbank erosion analysis, and geomorphological risk evaluation — enriched by ecological and spatial data from our biologists and geomaticians.

Numerical hydraulic modelling (1D, 2D, 3D): flow simulation under normal and extreme conditions, floodplain mapping, impact assessment of infrastructure — calibrated by field observations from our hydrogeomorphologists.

Ecological studies: faunal and floral inventories, habitat assessment, environmental monitoring, and compensation plans — guided by a geomorphological understanding of the environment.

River ice: analysis of ice dynamics, ice jam risk assessment, and design of mitigation measures — integrating hydraulic and geomorphological data.

Environmental mapping: remote sensing, geospatial analysis, thematic map production — serving all disciplines for a comprehensive territorial vision.

A Complete Team, Ready for Your Next Mandate

Whether your challenge is sedimentary, hydrological, or morphological — in natural, agricultural, or urban settings — Avizo’s HGM team has the expertise and capacity to support you. And above all, we offer something few firms can match: all the expertise under one roof, working together from day one.

Partner with Avizo. All the expertise, one point of contact, integrated solutions that make a difference. Contact us to discuss your next mandate.

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