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ShoreSync

TR Number

Date

2024-05-03

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Capstone Group 7 Spring 2024

Abstract

Our project aims to revolutionize shoreline inventory maintenance in Virginia, particularly in Gloucester County, where the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is situated. Partnering with VIMS, we're pioneering a citizen science-based approach to swiftly and accurately update shoreline data. Leveraging the widespread access to smartphones, we're empowering individuals to contribute geo-information seamlessly. We are prototyping a user-friendly web application to facilitate data submission, including various forms and images of the shoreline, all tagged with GPS coordinates. The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is tasked with maintaining a comprehensive inventory of tidal shorelines to monitor ongoing conditions. These data serve as vital baseline information to aid in shoreline management and enhance decision-making for local and state governing bodies. Such datasets form the foundation for numerous modeling tasks related to climate change, addressing ecological and socio-economic aspects. The most recent shoreline inventory in Virginia spanned from 2012 to 2019. However, rapid changes in coastal areas, including increased development and the impact of climate change on coastal habitats, underscore the urgent need for updates.

Description

This pilot project focuses on the shoreline of Gloucester county, where VIMS is located. It will involve designing and implementing a community survey to gauge public interest in using citizen scientists to gather shoreline data, as well as finding a best way to optimize the data collection, entry, and validation processes. The project aims to create a web application for the citizens of shoreline to be able to submit data using multiple forms such as Riparian Land uses form, Bank Attributes form, Shoreline features form along with multiple images of shoreline by tagging GPS Coordinates. Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) use data collected for Determining trends, Analysis of the shoreline , Make plans and decisions according to the data received. This web application is mainly used by citizens along the coastline to upload data about the shoreline. This is a unique web application that allows citizens of shoreline to upload the shoreline changes unlike existing solutions which involve separate manual efforts(surveys, remote sensing etc.,). We have developed a Web application which allows user to Login to fill out the different data collection forms by uploading the images with tagged user coordinates and then Logout successfully. We also managed to provide Interactive reminders for the user to fill out the details on a page. Users can maintain their progress and travel through the pages with ease using a previous and next button. The inclusion of tooltip features on each data field while filling out the form enhances user experience by providing additional context and guidance.

Keywords

Data Collection, Shoreline Changes, GPS Coordinates, Location, Uploading images, VIMS, Web Application

Citation