Fine-scale elevation data collected for Eyre Peninsula coast

The project is supported by Regional Development Australia Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula, the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association, Eyre Peninsula Climate Change Agreement Committee, Department for Environment and Water, Coast Protection Board and SA Water.

Residents from the Upper Spencer Gulf around to the Great Australian Bight may notice a twin-engine aircraft flying the coast in the coming weeks as high resolution ground evaluation data is recorded.

Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula Board Presiding Member Diana Laube said the high accuracy data will become an important base for decision making as we adapt to climate variation.

“We all remember the storms of 2016 and even more recently some of the intense rainfall events which have resulted in damaging localised flooding on Eyre Peninsula,” Ms Laube said.

“In the next phase of this project this data can be used to model coastal inundation due to sea level rise, identify assets vulnerable to inundation and run other climate scenarios.

“Planning for these things together is much easier if decision makers and residents can make informed decisions based on the same information and that’s the outcome we are striving for here.”

Aerometrex Managing Director Mark Deuter said their Adelaide-based geospatial company is contracted to fly for the Eyre Peninsula Coastal Mapping project over the next four to six weeks.

“We will be using a state-of-the-art, brand-new airborne LiDAR system built in Austria by Riegl Laser Measurement Systems GmbH, a leading sensor manufacturer,” he said.

The project will require more than 3,000 km of flying over 30 hours flight time to map the entire coastline of Eyre Peninsula using the new sensor, and will deliver a comprehensive 3D map of the coastline at a vertical accuracy of +/-15cm.”

LiDAR is a technology which measures surfaces by using laser beams at very high frequencies, and measuring the time it takes for the laser pulse to be returned to the aircraft. The position of the aircraft is tracked by airborne GPS and Inertial Measurement Technology to within a few centimetres, so the distance from the aircraft to the ground can be accurately determined.

“The new sensor has outstanding technical capabilities. It can measure up to 1,000,000 pulses per second, flying at 140 knots, to provide a density of up to four point measurements for every square metre on the ground.”

For more information visit www.landscape.sa.gov.au/ep/projects-and-partners/LiDAR