Northern Ireland Coastal Change Information Tool with 142 Data Points

Ulster University produced the Coastal Change Information Tool in September 2023 to explain shoreline change dynamics for the entire Northern Ireland coastline. The tool comprises 142 individual data points, each containing a written description of historic patterns, an interpretation of causes, identification of key features, and a statement of possible future shoreline behavior. It integrates findings from the Northern Ireland Historical Shoreline Analysis Project and other coastal datasets collected by DAERA.

Use Cases

• Assess long-term erosion and accretion patterns based on historical shoreline analysis.
• Identify areas historically susceptible to coastal change for climate adaptation planning.
• Evaluate the impact of anthropogenic activity and coastal engineering works on shoreline dynamics.
• Inform infrastructure and development planning based on projections of future shoreline behavior.

Strengths

• Contains 142 individual, detailed data points for the entire Northern Ireland coastline.
• Integrates expert interpretation from coastal geomorphologists and findings from multiple authoritative projects and datasets.
• Data is available in multiple geospatial formats including JSON, KML, CSV, SHP, and GEOJSON.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ulster University, commissioned to produce the tool, with data from the Northern Ireland Historical Shoreline Analysis Project and DAERA.

Collection Method

Analysis of historical shoreline data combined with expert interpretation and local geological information.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:23:00.782087; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland coastline.