Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit

Euan J. Provost; Melinda A. Coleman; Paul A. Butcher; Andrew Colefax; Thomas A. Schlacher; Melanie J. Bishop; Rod M. Connolly; Ben L. Gilby; Christopher J. Henderson; Alan Jones; Mariano Lastra; Brooke Maslo; Andrew D. Olds; Brendan P. Kelaher

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105750

Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit

Euan J. Provost^*, Melinda A. Coleman, Paul A. Butcher, Andrew Colefax, Thomas A. Schlacher, Melanie J. Bishop, Rod M. Connolly, Ben L. Gilby, Christopher J. Henderson, Alan Jones, Mariano Lastra, Brooke Maslo, Andrew D. Olds, Brendan P. Kelaher

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Understanding the use of sandy beaches underpins strategies for effective management of this valuable ecosystem. In this context, remote-sensing platforms and aerial imagery could, theoretically, provide novel and cost-effective solutions to identify and map beach visitor use. Recreational beach use patterns were examined using data collected via an established drone-based method and from commercial orthomosaic images collected via crewed aircraft to assess the practicality of these methods. Our study encompassed ~780 km of east Australian coastline and assessed 73,021 beach visitors to find similar participation rates in sunbathing (46.3 vs 47.7%), walking (21.8 vs 18.6%), swimming (20.9 vs 19.5%), surfing (10.7 vs 14.0%) and fishing (0.3 vs 0.1%) when measured by drones or crewed aircraft, respectively. The larger spatial coverage of crewed aircraft was a distinct advantage that allowed mapping of geographic patterns in beach use for thirteen sites separated by 100s of kilometres. Beach visitation was significantly influenced by season, weekend/public holidays, temperature, solar radiation, beach area, size of households adjacent to beaches, and time of day. Both drones and crewed aircraft are practicable tools for sandy shore management, providing complementary solutions to generate visitor-use data at multiple scales that can be used to optimise recreational service provisions and better support environmental conservation strategies.

Original language	English
Article number	105750
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Number of pages	9
Journal	Ocean and Coastal Management
Volume	211
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105750
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2021

Keywords

Beach use
Beach management
Coastal management
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Drone
UAV
Aerial image.

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10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105750

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Provost, E. J., Coleman, M. A., Butcher, P. A., Colefax, A., Schlacher, T. A., Bishop, M. J., Connolly, R. M., Gilby, B. L., Henderson, C. J., Jones, A., Lastra, M., Maslo, B., Olds, A. D., & Kelaher, B. P. (2021). Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit. Ocean and Coastal Management, 211, 1-9. Article 105750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105750

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title = "Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit",

abstract = "Understanding the use of sandy beaches underpins strategies for effective management of this valuable ecosystem. In this context, remote-sensing platforms and aerial imagery could, theoretically, provide novel and cost-effective solutions to identify and map beach visitor use. Recreational beach use patterns were examined using data collected via an established drone-based method and from commercial orthomosaic images collected via crewed aircraft to assess the practicality of these methods. Our study encompassed ~780 km of east Australian coastline and assessed 73,021 beach visitors to find similar participation rates in sunbathing (46.3 vs 47.7%), walking (21.8 vs 18.6%), swimming (20.9 vs 19.5%), surfing (10.7 vs 14.0%) and fishing (0.3 vs 0.1%) when measured by drones or crewed aircraft, respectively. The larger spatial coverage of crewed aircraft was a distinct advantage that allowed mapping of geographic patterns in beach use for thirteen sites separated by 100s of kilometres. Beach visitation was significantly influenced by season, weekend/public holidays, temperature, solar radiation, beach area, size of households adjacent to beaches, and time of day. Both drones and crewed aircraft are practicable tools for sandy shore management, providing complementary solutions to generate visitor-use data at multiple scales that can be used to optimise recreational service provisions and better support environmental conservation strategies.",

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author = "Provost, {Euan J.} and Coleman, {Melinda A.} and Butcher, {Paul A.} and Andrew Colefax and Schlacher, {Thomas A.} and Bishop, {Melanie J.} and Connolly, {Rod M.} and Gilby, {Ben L.} and Henderson, {Christopher J.} and Alan Jones and Mariano Lastra and Brooke Maslo and Olds, {Andrew D.} and Kelaher, {Brendan P.}",

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Provost, EJ, Coleman, MA, Butcher, PA, Colefax, A, Schlacher, TA, Bishop, MJ, Connolly, RM, Gilby, BL, Henderson, CJ, Jones, A, Lastra, M, Maslo, B, Olds, AD & Kelaher, BP 2021, 'Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit', Ocean and Coastal Management, vol. 211, 105750, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105750

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T2 - the sky is not the limit

AU - Provost, Euan J.

AU - Coleman, Melinda A.

AU - Butcher, Paul A.

AU - Colefax, Andrew

AU - Schlacher, Thomas A.

AU - Bishop, Melanie J.

AU - Connolly, Rod M.

AU - Gilby, Ben L.

AU - Henderson, Christopher J.

AU - Jones, Alan

AU - Lastra, Mariano

AU - Maslo, Brooke

AU - Olds, Andrew D.

AU - Kelaher, Brendan P.

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AB - Understanding the use of sandy beaches underpins strategies for effective management of this valuable ecosystem. In this context, remote-sensing platforms and aerial imagery could, theoretically, provide novel and cost-effective solutions to identify and map beach visitor use. Recreational beach use patterns were examined using data collected via an established drone-based method and from commercial orthomosaic images collected via crewed aircraft to assess the practicality of these methods. Our study encompassed ~780 km of east Australian coastline and assessed 73,021 beach visitors to find similar participation rates in sunbathing (46.3 vs 47.7%), walking (21.8 vs 18.6%), swimming (20.9 vs 19.5%), surfing (10.7 vs 14.0%) and fishing (0.3 vs 0.1%) when measured by drones or crewed aircraft, respectively. The larger spatial coverage of crewed aircraft was a distinct advantage that allowed mapping of geographic patterns in beach use for thirteen sites separated by 100s of kilometres. Beach visitation was significantly influenced by season, weekend/public holidays, temperature, solar radiation, beach area, size of households adjacent to beaches, and time of day. Both drones and crewed aircraft are practicable tools for sandy shore management, providing complementary solutions to generate visitor-use data at multiple scales that can be used to optimise recreational service provisions and better support environmental conservation strategies.

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KW - Coastal management

KW - Unmanned aerial vehicle

KW - Drone

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KW - Aerial image.

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Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit

Abstract

Keywords

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A fisheries and oceanographic observing system for the continental shelf

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Quantifying human use of sandy shores with aerial remote sensing technology: the sky is not the limit

Abstract

Keywords

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A fisheries and oceanographic observing system for the continental shelf

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