Northern Ireland Shoreline Change Analysis from the Early 1800s

Historical shoreline positions for the entire Northern Ireland coastline, analyzed at 25-meter intervals to calculate rates of change since the early 1800s. Ulster University produced this dataset using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) on Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery. The data provides five key rate-of-change statistics, including Net Shoreline Movement and Linear Regression Rate, to visualize coastal evolution.

Use Cases

• Calculate long-term erosion and accretion rates based on Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) and End Point Rate (EPR) statistics.
• Model shoreline change trends using Linear Regression Rate (LRR) and Weighted Linear Regression Rate (WLR) data.
• Identify specific coastal stretches experiencing significant change using the Shoreline Change Envelope (SCE) measure.
• Visualize the dynamic evolution of the coastline over annual to decadal time periods.

Strengths

• Analysis covers the entire Northern Ireland coastline.
• Data provides rate-of-change statistics calculated at 25-meter intervals.
• Shoreline positions are derived from historical Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery dating back to the early 1800s.
• Includes five distinct statistical measures of shoreline change (NSM, SCE, EPR, LRR, WLR).

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 temporal bias inherent to the availability of historical maps and imagery.

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 date of last analysis

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:22:26.113379; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Ireland coastline