Coastal Monitoring Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the Management of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast: The Case of Almenara-Sagunto

Abstract

The concentration of the world’s population in coastal areas means an increase in pressure on the environment and coastal ecosystems. The impacts of climate change affect natural biophysical and ecological systems and human health. Research has been developed to create coastal monitoring with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that allow data to be obtained and methodologies that integrate computer vision algorithms for 3D and image processing techniques for analysis, combined with maritime information. The Valencian oval is located on the Spanish Mediterranean coast and registers significant coastal erosion. It is a densely populated area, with high economic relevance and tourist activity. The main goals of the developed research in this coastal area include creating a methodology of data collection that identifies environmental indicators significant to community health and uses in the coastal areas, to test progression of interventions and to assess coastal erosion detection and monitoring. The final objective is to aid in decision-making and coastal management. Sediment characterization was obtained, and continuous maritime information was collected. The dynamic evolution of coastal areas was researched by using UAVs on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. This technique is suitable for measuring medium to small coastal changes. Flight planning was carried out using the grid mode and adapted to areas in order to obtain a homogeneous pixel size and precision. This monitoring program takes advantage of technological development with very low economic costs and is a good tool for making decisions that must be based on scientific information. With the monitoring work, an annual erosion between 12 and 6 m was detected. The monitoring program has evidenced the shoreline trend as a result of the impact of rigid structures, mainly ports and groins, in promoting down-drift erosion processes in the area.

Drones in hospitality and tourism: a literature review and research agenda

“…Decision makers can use drones as an assessment tool to improve coastal management decisions (Provost et al , 2019; Lu and Chyi, 2020). UAV technology can also provide access to marine and coastal ecosystems in inaccessible coastal areas (Niculescu et al , 2017), provide early detection of marine ingress blooms (Mcilwaine, Casado and Waine, 2022), monitor erosion in areas of intense tourism activity (Chapapría et al , 2022; García-Romero et al , 2019) and observe the positive sedimentary budgets for beaches (Provost et al , 2019). UAVs may also be used to prevent uncontrolled or unplanned urban development in coastal areas (Bayram et al , 2017).…”

Evaluating the Sand-Trapping Efficiency of Sand Fences Using a Combination of Wind-Blown Sand Measurements and UAV Photogrammetry at Tottori Sand Dunes, Japan

“…Remote sensing techniques can be applied to measure the movement rates of dunes by comparison of two or more aerial photographs or satellite images acquired at different times [30]. Recently, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry has provided an effective approach for monitoring coastal sand dunes (e.g., [31,32]). Bañón et al [33] validated the data quality obtained from UAV photogrammetry with traditional topographic methods in the Spanish Mediterranean coast and suggested that UAV technology permits the acquisition of topographic data by means of surveys that take little time and can be conducted at a high temporal frequency.…”

UAV Application for Coastal Area Monitoring: A Case Study of Sant'Alessio Siculo, Sicily

“…In the coastal area of Sant'Alessio Siculo, located in the NE of Sicily (Italy; Fig. 1), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been identified as the most effective tools for monitoring [9,10,11,12,13] the result of a nourishment realized using material coming from the alluvial area of the Agrò River. Photogrammetric surveys conducted using UAVs allowed us to obtain 2D and 3D representations of the studied areas through orthophotos, digital elevation model (DEM) and digital surface model (DSM).…”