2003 Ortho OSNI: Northern Ireland Shoreline Change Analysis

Historical shoreline information for the entire Northern Ireland coastline, analyzed at 25-meter intervals. Ulster University produced this dataset using Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery to calculate rates of change since the early 1800s. The data includes statistics like Net Shoreline Movement and Linear Regression Rate, processed with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS).

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal erosion rates based on the Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) and End Point Rate (EPR) statistics.
• Identifying areas of shoreline retreat or accretion using the spatially displayed rate-of-change data.
• Assessing long-term coastal change dynamics based on historical shoreline positions from the early 1800s.
• Visualizing shoreline geometry changes over annual to decadal time periods for environmental reporting.

Strengths

• Analysis covers the entire Northern Ireland coastline.
• Rate-of-change statistics were calculated at 25-meter intervals for detailed spatial assessment.
• Incorporates historical data sources, including Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery, dating back to the early 1800s.
• Provides multiple statistical measures of change, including Net Shoreline Movement and Weighted Linear Regression Rate.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the Northern Ireland focus.

Provenance

Source

OpenDataNI, Ulster University

Collection Method

Analysis of historical Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery using the ArcGIS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS).

Time Range

Early 1800s onwards

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:22:43.948643; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland coastline