A critical review of the CoastView project: Recent and future developments in coastal management video systems

This contribution provides a critical review of the CoastView project; a research program designed to develop and quantify video-derived Coastal State Indicators (CSIs) which simplify various aspects of coastal zone management including, coastal protection, navigation and recreation. This paper aims to provide a guide to future applied research projects of this kind. The research program implemented a ‘frame of reference’ methodology in order to effectively match research outcomes to the needs of end users and to facilitate communication within a consortium comprising both scientists and end users of the technology. Data derived from coastal video systems played a crucial role in defining CSIs which form a central component of the ‘frame of reference’ process. In general coastal video systems were demonstrated to be a very effective coastal management tool in all of the areas under investigation, uniquely providing data with excellent spatial and temporal resolution and coverage. Additionally, the ‘frame of reference’ ensured the appropriate match of science to the needs of the end user. However, even given these significant advances, the transfer of useful methodologies to applied tools is not guaranteed. The importance of providing simple, robust tools for delivering CSIs simply and efficiently to the coastal manager at the appropriate time-scale was recognised; ideally this should be completed within the timeframe of the research program. The acceptance of new methodologies is greatly enhanced by demonstrating them alongside more established techniques and other data sources, clearly showing the advantages, reliability and accuracy of the new approach.