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A comparison of high-end methods for topographic modelling of a coastal dune complex

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Abstract

In recent years, increasing tourism and development in the coastal dune area of the South East of Ireland have resulted in greater pressure on the environment, resulting in issues including soil erosion, flooding and habitat loss. Topographic mapping across a dune field is important for the development of targeted land management actions that maintain biodiversity and ecological functions. Developments in surveying technology, including LiDAR, terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) and aerial surveying from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), have enabled high-resolution and high-accuracy spatial data to be gathered quickly and relatively easily for 3D topographic modelling of a coastal dune complex. To-date, however, the relative efficacies of these three modelling methods, in the context of coastal dune modelling, has not been explored. This paper compares high-end methods based on LiDAR, TLS and RPAS technologies, for the topographic modelling of coastal dune complexes with particular reference to the Brittas-Buckroney dune complex in the South East of Ireland. The results identify the advantages and disadvantages of the respective technologies and highlight the efficacy of RPAS, in particular, for topographic modelling of coastal dune complexes. These results can provide reference information for others when selecting suitable methods for topographic modelling of similar environments.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Fiosraigh scholarship programme of the Technological University Dublin. The authors wish to acknowledge SLR Global Environmental Solution Company for providing the fixed wing drone eBee for data collection and Ronan Hogan and Ray Tighe for assistance in data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Surveying and Construction Management, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Chen Suo & Eugene McGovern

  2. Environmental Sustainability & Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Alan Gilmer

  3. Department of Geography, Maynooth University Co., Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland

    Conor Cahalane

Authors
  1. Chen Suo
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  2. Eugene McGovern
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  3. Alan Gilmer
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  4. Conor Cahalane
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Correspondence to Chen Suo.

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Suo, C., McGovern, E., Gilmer, A. et al. A comparison of high-end methods for topographic modelling of a coastal dune complex. J Coast Conserv 24, 47 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-020-00764-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-020-00764-6

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