Research Planning, Inc
P.O. Box 328 , Columbia, , South Carolina, United States

RPI is a science technology firm with a long tradition of maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity to provide unbiased and rigorous analysis to our clients. Our domestic and international clients include federal, state and local governments, multinational development agencies, NGOs, and private industry. Based in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, RPI has conducted projects in over 50 countries. Our capabilities for rapidly bringing to bear the appropriate scientific expertise and resources to successfully undertake projects are unmatched.

RPI scientists have experience in a wide range of ecological settings, having conducted detailed field surveys in numerous habitats, ranging from tropical coral reef and mangrove systems to arctic environments. This expertise and experience have given RPI a broad-based working knowledge of many environments and the complex environmental issues addressed by nations worldwide.

Since its formation, RPI has specialized in applied studies on sensitive ecosystems, particularly coastal systems. The company has experience in the technical disciplines of coastal geomorphology, sedimentology, beach erosion, geochemistry, computer mapping, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), database design, spatial modeling, remote sensing, image processing, hazardous substance spills, natural resource damage assessment, dispersant use, aquatic toxicology, aquaculture, marine biology, coastal oceanography, ground water, natural resource management, and wetland science and ecology.

RPI combines these assets with unparalleled expertise in environmental data management. One of RPI’s key focuses is the unique and unparalleled potential of uniting natural resource expertise with the spatial and information processing capabilities. Our expertise in physical and biological sciences allows RPI to undertake complex projects using a multidisciplinary approach.

The Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI), developed by RPI’s senior scientists in 1976, has become an integral component of oil-spill contingency planning and response and coastal resource management in the USA and other countries worldwide. The first ESI maps were prepared days in advance of the arrival of the oil slicks from the IXTOC 1 well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Since that time, RPI has prepared ESI atlases and databases for most of the U.S. shoreline, including Alaska and the Great Lakes. ESI atlas and database archives include the U.S. territories and many other countries worldwide. Nearly all of the maps of the lower 48 states have been compiled at a scale of 1:24,000, using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute quadrangles as the base map. There are a few exceptions where USGS maps were available at different scales or too outdated to be of use. For work in Alaska, 15-minute USGS topographic quadrangles at a scale of 1:63,360 have been used as base maps.

Until 1989, ESI atlases were prepared by hand using traditional cartographic methods. Since then, RPI has generated all atlases using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. We are consistently upgrading the resource content and mapping capabilities to keep up with rapidly changing technologies and natural resource data collection methods.