On 1st October 2021 we went with two students involved in the CoastScan project to perform our monthly scan from the beach. The dune foot is not captured by the permanent laser scanner in Noordwijk, so we regularly go to the beach to scan the dunes from the other side. K. Echeverry Caro works on filling these gaps in the data and quantifying the differences that they cause for her Bachelor thesis.
Helicopter scanned
Part of the observed area in Noordwijk contains a helicopter platform in the dunes. Our research into data quality is making use of this platform as a reference surface (publication). During our research we found two helicopters that landed on the platform at two different occasions in September 2019 and in August 2020. Above the point clouds of the landed helicopters are shown colored according to elevation (left) and intensity (right).
Student project on counting people on the beach
For the course 3D surveying of civil and offshore infrastructure at TU Delft a group of students has worked on counting the people that are walking on the beach using our CoastScan data from Noordwijk. In their final report they present their method that is able to detect up to 90% of the people that are walking on the beach in an area of about 400 m length in front of the laser scanner.
Point cloud of the beach in Noordwijk with people detected by the algorithm marked in colors.Master Project deals with visualizations of CoastScan data
In February 2021 Y. Schreijer successfully completed her master thesis with the title: ‘Visual insight into the temporal changes of sand patterns along the Dutch coast’ under the supervision of E. Verbree and P. van Oosterom (TU Delft) and P. Goessen (Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier). For her master project she used CoastScan data to visualize dynamics that influence deformation processes of the coast.
The image shows elevation differences in Noordwijk after a storm hit the coast in early February 2020. A large sand deposition is circled in red.
In a comparison between two consecutive scans (about one hour apart) moving sand ripples, possibly caused by aeolian sand transport due to strong winds, are made visible.
Workshop on Error Sources and Correction in PLS
A. De Wulf 
G. Kerekes 
D. Schröder 
A. Voordendag
On 18 March 2021 we successfully held the first workshop on error sources and corrections in permanent laser scanning. With 28 participants from universities and companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Austria and Switzerland, various research groups came together to share their experiences on data collection with permanently installed laser scanners. The focus on error sources and corrections as well as different applications were discussed in seven presentations. The workshop concluded with several ideas for future collaborations and the idea for a follow-up workshop. More details can be found here.
We want to thank all the speakers and participants for their contributions and we are looking forward to future collaborations.
FIG article of the month March 2021 using CoastScan data
The contribution of G. Deruyte, L. De Sloover, A. De Wulf and S. Vos to the FIG Working Week 2020 was named article of the month of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) for March 2021. The article presents a calibration method for the PLS data set of Oostend, Belgium.
G. Deruyte, L. De Sloover, J. Verbeurgt, A. De Wulf and S. Vos, “Macrotidal Beach Monitoring (Belgium) using Hypertemporal Terrestrial Lidar, ” FIG Working Week 2020, no. 10560, May 2020. Link.
New Publications
The last months have been productive for the different research groups that are using the CoastScan data in their work. The following publications give an idea of the latest results of research related to CoastScan. A complete list can be found under publications.
Vos et al. 2020: Cross-Shore Intertidal Bar Behavior along the Dutch Coast: Laser Measurements and Conceptual Model
Observation deck paved
wooden deck before 
paved deck since Feb 2021
The observation deck in the dunes in Noordwijk is located to the north of our laser scanner and just within the field of view. At our monthly round, where we check on the location, take some extra scans of the dune foot and collect GPS measurements of the beach, we also measure the GPS coordinates of this observation deck. Until the beginning of this year the deck was made of wood. Now, since February 2021 the deck is paved with bricks. This will increase the stability as a reference in our point clouds. But of course, this change does not allow for comparison with the data of the deck before it was paved.
Laser Scanner moved 2 m North
On 2nd December 2020, the laser scanner was moved from its permanent position on the balcony of hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk to a new fixed position on the same balcony, but about 2 m to the North of the previous position. The move was requested by the hotel. We are now working on methods to provide a fixed transformation that can be applied to the data to remove the resulting shift.
Break in PLS record for maintenance
From 25 June 2020 to 30 July 2020 there is a break in the data recorded with our permanent laser scanner. In this period the scanner was removed for maintenance activities. It was placed back on July 30th at the exact same location and is fully operational again since then.