Shoreline Mapping

EO Mapping Services

Introduction

The shoreline is a dynamic feature. Multi-temporal analysis of these dynamics using several satellite sources can reveal erosion and deposition patterns which becomes especially relevant in the context of climate change and sea level rise. All coastal engineering, planning and management actions require an understanding of the type of shoreline, its stability and dynamics. EOMAP provides shoreline type and stability classifications as well as change monitoring of shoreline dynamics, highlighting accretion and erosion. We base the analysis on different satellite sources such as the Copernicus Sentinel-2 or DigitalGlobe’s WorldView satellites, resulting in an increased mapping frequency and a more detailed view on shoreline processes. The derivation of shorelines from satellite data is performed by deriving spectral thresholds for polygon and polyline creation. Subsequently, gain and loss calculations are conducted to highlight areas of erosion and accretion.

Advantages at a glance

  • Get quantified information on coastal erosion for extended shorelines.
  • Access historical information from several decades back in time.
  • Reduce planning and project risks for coastal and near-shore infrastructures.

FAQ

Can you also map the coastline referenced to a specific vertical datum?
This depends on the spatial resolution, the date of interest and your accuracy requirements. Simply send your desired vertical datum and your date of interest or time frame to our shallow water team and we will check the feasibility in your focus area.

What are the horizontal uncertainties of the Shoreline Mapping?
The geolocation uncertainties are determined by the spatial resolution of the satellite source. For shoreline maps from 2m data, the horizontal uncertainty is 5 m CE90, for 10m data  it is 10m CE90 or better and for 30m data it is 30m CE90.