Oral D2 OSID & IESS

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM JST(5:45 AM - 6:00 AM UTC)

[.s6T5WKf-04] Spatial Digital Twins for Coastal Resilience in Small Island Developing States: A Data Integration Framework

*Crystal Cooper¹ (1. The University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago))

Like many other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), tt faces no shortage of challenges ranging from finite land space, to climate change mitigations, to city planning within the coastal zone, which is home to 70% of the population and 80% of the country’s socio-economic activities as reported by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Steering committee. The 2023-approved ICZM Policy Framework explicitly identifies the absence of a centralized coastal information management system as one of the key hindrances to effective management. This research is intended to readily address the latter gap through the development of a Spatial Digital Twin (SDT) of the coastal zone that serves multiple sectors and ministries and supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 13 & 14) by combatting threats such as sea-level rise and coastal erosion. A SDT is a virtual representation of a connected physical asset and the transfer of data or information between these two state. The research utilizes a Geomatics Engineering lens to delineate a comprehensive SDT framework, highlighting Surveying types such as Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry and Traditional Land Surveying via drones, satellites and laser scanning etc., with data products such as LiDAR, orthomosaics and satellite imagery. The data amalgamation, hosting, monitoring, manipulation and implementation of the SDT shall be illustrated though a local case study. Not only can this research promote coastal resilience, but the framework can be used to develop a local centralized information system and be integrated in SIDS coastal management plans in the Caribbean and other small island regions alike.