Standard Operating Procedure SHR07 Change Calculation, Data Analysis, and Reporting

This standard operating procedure (SOP) details the comparison of GPS shoreline positions and the quantification of their differences. To compare surveys between years and calculate change, each GPS shoreline survey should be a continuous line feature from which distances to a pre-established offshore baseline are made. Distances from each GPS shoreline feature to the baseline are measured using pre-established transects at regular intervals. The results of these comparisons are then exported into a distance matrix. Creation of the data matrix provides the means to characterize the entire shoreline (as a whole) as well as subsets of the shoreline (smaller areas of interest). This SOP introduces: • The Digital Shoreline Analysis System as the recommended tool for measuring and reporting the changes in shoreline position. • A suite of summary statistics and trend analyses that can be used in describing and comparing the spatial measures of change. • Content and structure for the biennial report and the project trend report.