Review of Shoreline Extraction Methods from Aerial Laser Scanning

Area of Science:

• Geospatial Science
• Environmental Monitoring
• Autonomous Systems

Background:

• Accurate shoreline delineation is vital for hydrographic surveys in coastal zones, especially with increasing use of autonomous vehicles.
• Traditional methods face challenges in shallow, complex coastal environments.
• Aerial Laser Scanning (ALS) offers a promising remote sensing approach for shoreline data acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a narrative review of shoreline extraction methods utilizing solely aerial laser scanning (ALS) data.
• To critically analyze seven recent publications (last 10 years) on ALS-based shoreline extraction.
• To identify and discuss the strengths and limitations of various ALS-derived shoreline extraction techniques.

Main Methods:

• Literature search focusing on studies published within the last decade.
• Analysis of seven selected publications employing aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data for shoreline extraction.
• Comparative assessment of nine distinct shoreline extraction methods based on ALS data.

Main Results:

• Multiple shoreline extraction methods using ALS/LiDAR data have been developed and applied.
• Direct comparison and unambiguous evaluation of these methods are challenging due to variations in datasets, equipment, environmental conditions, and shoreline characteristics.
• Reported accuracies varied significantly across the analyzed methods and studies.

Conclusions:

• Aerial laser scanning (ALS) provides valuable data for shoreline extraction, but method standardization and robust validation are needed.
• Future research should focus on developing standardized protocols for assessing the performance of ALS-based shoreline extraction techniques.
• Addressing the variability in data acquisition and environmental conditions is key to improving the reliability of automated shoreline mapping.