The Airborne Science Initiative LiDAR Beach Survey; development and results

The Airborne Science Initiative is a collaborative effort between the School of Aviation, School of Surveying, School of Civil Engineering and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales. Harnessing the equipment and skills of the team, a series of beach surveys have been performed to gather data about beach dynamics over a period of six months. Long range weather forecasts have predicted that a major storm event will occur in 2011 with the development of a deep low pressure system in the Tasman Sea. Two beaches were chosen for the study; Narrabeen and Wamberal, in an effort to document beach erosion before, after and during a major storm event. This paper documents the design of the system, the data flow and the analyses techniques used. Results of initial accuracy testing are provided, along with other results available at the time of writing. Finally, future development and missions are discussed. .