Northern Ireland Shoreline Change Rates from the 1800s to Present

Historical shoreline analysis for the entire Northern Ireland coastline, based on Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery from the early 1800s onward. Ulster University processed the data using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to calculate rate-of-change statistics at 25-meter intervals. The dataset includes metrics like End Point Rate (EPR) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR) to visualize and assess coastal change.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal erosion and accretion patterns based on historical shoreline positions.
• Assessing long-term shoreline change rates using End Point Rate (EPR) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR) statistics.
• Identifying areas of coastal retreat for risk management and planning based on spatial rate-of-change data.
• Visualizing shoreline geometry changes over decadal time periods using geospatial data.

Strengths

• Covers the entire Northern Ireland coastline.
• Analysis spans from the early 1800s to the present, providing a long-term perspective.
• Rate-of-change statistics were calculated at 25-meter intervals for detailed spatial analysis.
• Derived from authoritative sources including Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery.

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 to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:23:40.211916; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland coastline