KOSTASystem, a multipurpose coastal videometry system

Abstract

This contribution presents the KOSTASystem technology, a multipurpose coastal videometry system. It is implemented in 20 operational stations distributed along the Basque Coast (Spain), covering urban and natural beaches, port protection structures and natural coastal stretches. The purpose of this technology is to provide basic quantitative and qualitative data for coastal management applications. The most representative advances are related to the hardware, with the development of autonomous photovoltaic stations, and to the software, developing several tools for the calibration and restitution of the images and for the extraction of the information used in the different applications. In the longterm, within a climate change context, the most essential results have been obtained in the monitoring of beach morphology. In the short-term, the camera network works under extreme wave conditions, monitoring wave overtopping and flooding. Apart from this, it is also used for the daily management of the beaches in the summer season, improving the safety by detecting and predicting rip currents and providing information about beach user density (BUD). Finally, the constant improvement of this technology and its applications help to grow and collaborate within the European framework of the coastal observation network.