AUTHORS: Tracy Tien, Spatial Fellow, Spatial Analysis Lab, Smith College Jon Caris, Director, Spatial Analysis Lab, Smith College Robert Newton, Professor of Geoscience, Smith College
ABSTRACT: Popham Beach, Maine experiences extreme shoreline and dune changes that pose potential threats to park facilities and private properties. For many years, students from Smith College make a spring trip to Popham to assess the dynamic beach processes and learn a field data collection methods. Professor Robert Newton’s geomorphology class conducts recurring ground-based surveys each year to discern the how, why, and what if’s of the sedimentation process at the beach. The Spatial Analysis Lab recently introduced aerial surveying with drones that complements the research with large-scale, high-resolution orthomosaics to offer analysis on beach erosion and restoration overtime. Analysis of drone imagery with ArcGIS confirms drone mapping is suitable for accurate shoreline monitoring. The UAV data collected also enhances the work by addressing the resiliency and adaptability of the state park to sea-level rise.
