A project to 3D map New Zealand’s coastline in “remarkable detail” has been launched to help communities mitigate the impacts of climate change and understand the country’s coastline.
Stuart Caie, who is leading the Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) project, said it would use light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data to create maps of vulnerable and populated parts of the country’s coastline.
LiDAR is used to determine the shape of the coast and seafloor by sending pulses of light fitted to an aircraft that measures the distance to the earth below and builds a 3D picture of the surface.
The data collected would also be used to update nautical charts for maritime safety.
“Coastal mapping data is used by scientists and environmental planners to better understand how the country may be impacted and help keep communities and infrastructure safe, as well as protect ocean biodiversity through improved habitat mapping,” Caie said.
“As a small island nation New Zealanders living and working near the coast are exposed to climate events and natural hazards like tsunami, and these will impact valuable infrastructure, environmental and cultural assets close to the sea, as well as coastal biodiversity.”
Two suppliers, Woolpert NZ for the North Island and NV5 Geospatial for the South Island, were selected to collect the data.
The areas planned to be mapped this summer were coastlines in Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Oamaru, Timaru, Dunedin, Southland, and Westland.
LINZ said planes would need to fly around 500m above the ground and people would notice the aircraft were above them.
The mapping programme aims to create baseline data for up to 40% of New Zealand’s coast over the next three years. The data would then be made free to the public once processed.
LINZ said it had already begun to install global positioning receivers at sea-level gauges around the coast.
“These sensors measure changes in the vertical movement of the land and coupled with the sea-level gauges will allow us to work out the effect of sea-level rise over time,” Cai said.
“We know scientists are excited about this data and the modelling that it can enable, especially as storm surges are likely to become more frequent as sea-level rises in the future.
“To know how much New Zealand will be impacted, we have already begun installing global positioning receivers at sea-level gauges around the coast.”
