SurfZone Digital Elevation Model 2014: UK Coastal Zone Post-Winter Storms

A seamless 2-meter resolution raster model of the UK inter-tidal zone, produced by the Environment Agency in 2014. It was created using LIDAR and multibeam SONAR bathymetry to assess coastal changes following the 2013/2014 winter storms. The data is provided as 5km x 5km GeoTiff tiles and an ESRI Image Service.

Use Cases

• Model coastal erosion and accretion patterns based on the seamless elevation surface.
• Assess flood risk and storm surge impacts based on the detailed inter-tidal zone model.
• Plan coastal engineering projects based on the 2-meter resolution elevation data.
• Analyze habitat changes in the inter-tidal zone based on the LIDAR and bathymetry fusion.

Strengths

• Seamless surface created using a bespoke feathering technique between LIDAR and bathymetric surveys.
• High spatial resolution with each pixel representing 2 meters on the ground.
• Full coverage of the near-shore with interpolated gaps for completeness.
• Includes a metadata index catalog detailing the source data and transformation models for any area.

Limitations

• The dataset has been retired and replaced by a 2019 version, indicating it is not the most current.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect temporal bias, being based on surveys available up to 2014.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency, with bathymetry data also supplied by the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes of England.

Collection Method

Produced using LIDAR and near-shore multibeam SONAR bathymetry, fused with a bespoke feathering technique.

Time Range

2014, modeling the coastal zone post the 2013/2014 UK winter storms.

Freshness

Dataset is retired; last update date is unknown.

Geography

Coastal and inter-tidal zones of England, including the Anglian coastline and the Isles of Scilly.