Applicability of CoastSnap, a Crowd-Sourced Coastal Imagery Application for US Army Corps of Engineers District Use
Abstract
This US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, technical report details the pilot deployment, accuracy evaluation, and best practices of the citizen-science, coastal-image monitoring program CoastSnap. Despite the need for regular observational data, many coastlines are monitored infrequently due to cost and personnel, and this cell phone-image-based approach represents a new potential data source to districts in addition to providing an outreach opportunity for the public. Requiring minimal hardware and signage, the system is simple to install but requires user-image processing. Analysis shows the CoastSnap-derived shorelines compare well to real-time kinematic and lidar-derived shorelines during low-to-moderate wave conditions (root mean square errors [RMSEs] <10 m). During high-wave conditions, errors are higher (RMSE up to 18 m) but are improved when incorporating wave run-up. Beyond shoreline quantification, images provide other qualitative information such as storm-impact characteristics and timing of the formation of beach scarps. Ultimately, the citizen-science tool is a viable low-cost option to districts for monitoring shorelines and tracking the evolution of coastal projects such as beach nourishments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 08, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1210053
Entities
People
- Brittany L. Bruder
- Connor Geis
- Ian W. Conery
- Jessamin A. Straub
- Katherine Brodie
- Nicholas J. Spore
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center