Enhancing coastal resilience: innovative remote techniques for shoreline detection, and citizen-based monitoring in the Apulian region (Italy)

Coastal regions face increasingly vulnerability from flooding, sea-level rise, and severe storms, posing threats to humans and ecosystems. This article highlights the need for a science-based global approach to coastal adaptation, underlying the importance of managing, protecting, and restoring coastal ecosystems to enhance long-term resilience. Innovative monitoring solutions, like video and image processing, are explored for effective coastal management from different perspectives such as low installation costs, automation, and citizen participation. Notable techniques include Color Channel Divergence and Shoreline Detection Model algorithms for accurate shoreline identification, image segmentation, and analysis of beach morphodynamics and nearshore hydrodynamics. Integrating such techniques with video monitoring systems and citizen-based initiatives, like Coastsnap, shows promise in enhancing our understanding of beach morphodynamics and nearshore hydrodynamics, strengthening coastal management efforts. Preliminary results implementing the Color Channel Divergence and Shoreline Detection Model algorithms at Torre Canne (Fasano, Brindisi, Italy), demonstrate their effectiveness in mapping shorelines. The obtained shoreline results indicate a good result, with a root mean square deviation (RMSD) of about 7 m using Color Channel Divergence and approximately 8 m using Shoreline Detection Model, compared to manual shoreline measurements. Recommendations for future research are also included, by expanding Coastsnap and video camera implementations in Apulia coastal pilot sites to address the current lack of a comprehensive coastal monitoring network in the region. Establishing such a network is essential for timely data collection, and informed decision-making, which is crucial for effective coastal adaptation strategies.