1991 AP: Northern Ireland Shoreline Change Analysis from 1800s

Historical shoreline positions for the Northern Ireland coastline, with analysis spanning from the early 1800s. The dataset was created by Ulster University using Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery, processed with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to calculate rate-of-change statistics at 25-meter intervals. It was last updated on 2026-03-18.

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 using spatially displayed rate-of-change data.
• Model historical coastal dynamics using Linear Regression Rate (LRR) and Weighted Linear Regression Rate (WLR) statistics.
• Visualize shoreline geometry changes over annual to decadal time periods.

Strengths

• Analysis covers a long temporal range, starting from the early 1800s.
• Rate-of-change statistics are calculated at a high spatial resolution of 25-meter intervals.
• Derived from multiple historical sources, including Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery.
• Provides multiple statistical measures of change (NSM, SCE, EPR, LRR, 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.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the Northern Ireland coastline.

Provenance

Source

Ulster University, via OpenDataNI.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Early 1800s onwards.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:23:34.933578; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland coastline.