PBSRA has joined Deakin University in the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program (DELWP) - a statewide program designed to gather baseline data about the current condition of the Victorian coastline, and monitor change. A major aspect is mapping key areas of coastline using small drones (UAVs). Thanks to technological advancements, the imagery gained from these can be used to create 3D models of amazing accuracy.
By mapping the same section of beach every 6 weeks or so for the next 2 years, we can compare the structure of the beach over time, and start to build a picture of the coastal processes for a region.
Deakin Marine Mapping tackles the size of this project through its Citizen Science Program - in the case of Dutton Way with the members of the PBSRA - providing us with the necessary equipment and training in UAV mapping. We have currently undertaken three mappings, the data has been processed by Deakin and made freely available at
https://www.marinemapping.org/vcmp-citizen-science so anyone can go online and gain an understanding of our coastal region.
