Coastal imaging

WRL’s mainstream Coastal Imaging program has achieved significant milestones recently, becoming the largest Coastal Imaging network in the world - with 45 cameras now providing continuous coverage of over 30 km of Gold Coast coastline, we have completed what is the most advanced beach monitoring system globally.

Coastal imaging involves the monitoring (video imaging) and quantitative analysis of several kilometres of coastline at a high resolution in time and space. Monitoring is achieved with one or more automated video cameras that are installed on a high structure and connected to computers that schedule the collection of video image data. Images are subsequently analysed with sophisticated image processing software to obtain quantitative measurements and provide ‘real-time’ online reporting of a wide range of coastal features and processes.

WRL Coastal Imaging

WRL’s coastal imaging system comprises of a programmable video image acquisition system, a standardised database for storing data and a suite of MATLAB based codes and toolboxes for image processing and analysis. WRL coastal engineers and WRL Coastal Imaging servers bring these systems together seamlessly and add features to facilitate the online, ‘real-time’ delivery of coastal imaging and measurement data. This data can be used by engineers and scientists for their coastal studies or by coastal managers for planning and management decision support and is presented on the purpose built WRL Coastal Imaging website.