Northern Ireland Historical Shoreline Change Analysis, 1800s Onwards

Historical shoreline positions for the Northern Ireland coastline, derived from Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery. The data was analyzed using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to calculate rate-of-change statistics at 25-meter intervals. The end product was provided by Ulster University and is hosted by OpenDataNI.

Use Cases

• Calculate rates of shoreline change based on Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) and End Point Rate (EPR) statistics.
• Identify areas of coastal retreat or accretion based on spatial rate-of-change data.
• Model historical coastal dynamics using Linear Regression Rate (LRR) and Weighted Linear Regression Rate (WLR) statistics.
• Visualize shoreline change over annual to decadal time periods for coastal management planning.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on all available Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery, suggesting a multi-source foundation.
• Rate-of-change statistics were calculated at a 25-meter interval, providing a detailed spatial resolution.
• Provides multiple statistical measures of change, including NSM, SCE, EPR, LRR, and WLR.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description does not specify the exact temporal coverage beyond 'since the start of the early 1800s'.

Provenance

Source

OpenDataNI, with analysis and product provided by Ulster University.

Collection Method

Historical shoreline analysis based on Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery, processed using the ArcGIS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS).

Time Range

Analysis covers time periods from the early 1800s onwards.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:23:41.742108; freshness should be verified.

Geography

The entire coastline of Northern Ireland.