The Office of Public Works (OPW) has awarded Fugro a contract to acquire, process and publish high-resolution lidar Geo-data of Ireland’s west and north coasts. This baseline survey will deliver a 3D elevation model to support Ireland’s coastal resilience strategy by identifying areas at current or future risk of coastal change and flooding.

Fugro will be using a specialist survey aircraft and high-resolution lidar sensor to survey 1815 km2 of Ireland’s coastline during low tide conditions. This area has not previously been comprehensively surveyed in this way and features several coastal bays that have historic and environmental importance.

This contract follows on from a 2021 survey OPW commissioned for the south and west coasts of Ireland. Used in comparison with future and past studies, these baseline surveys will facilitate enhanced risk assessment of coastal change at multiple scales from national to regional level that in turn can inform strategies to best manage the coastline and mitigate the risk from rising sea levels.

The use of airborne lidar technology offers many advantages over traditional survey techniques, including the capture of increased volumes of Geo-data during faster cycle times, reduced safety and technical risks, and the potential for simultaneous multisensor Geo-data acquisition.

Bram Mulder, Fugro’s Director for Land Asset Integrity in Europe and Africa, said: “We’re proud to continue working with OPW to provide the Geo-data needed to better understand and mitigate the threats facing our coastlines. Using the latest airborne data acquisition and processing technologies, we’re able to inform critical coastal resilience strategies that protect local communities, natural areas and surrounding infrastructure for a safe and liveable world.”