2004 Ortho OSNI: Northern Ireland Shoreline Change Analysis

Historical shoreline positions for the Northern Ireland coastline, with analysis covering annual to decadal periods 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. The end product is a digital asset for visualizing and assessing historical shoreline change.

Use Cases

• Calculate shoreline retreat or accretion rates based on Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) and End Point Rate (EPR) statistics.
• Model long-term coastal change trends using Linear Regression Rate (LRR) and Weighted Linear Regression Rate (WLR) data.
• Identify specific areas of high coastal change volatility using the Shoreline Change Envelope (SCE) measure.
• Visualize historical shoreline geometry changes over time 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 25-meter intervals along the coast, providing a detailed spatial resolution.
• Shoreline analysis covers a long temporal range, from the early 1800s to at least 2004.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• The description metadata is limited; actual data quality and completeness require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Ulster University, based on Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery.

Collection Method

Historical shoreline analysis using the ArcGIS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) package.

Time Range

Early 1800s to at least 2004.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:22:43.547633; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland coastline.