About
The Deben PhotoPosts project is a public and community monitoring enterprise involving the Deben Estuary Partnership, Bawdsey Parish Council, and coastal scientist Helene Burningham of UCL. We have been installing PhotoPost sites around the Deben estuary and local coastline to support the monitoring of coastal change and inform decision-making and coastal management. Initial funding for the project was obtained through the Sustainable Development Fund provided by Defra and managed by Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB.
Fixed-point photography (i.e. taking a photograph of a specific feature from exactly the same position) has been used for decades to monitor environmental change, and there are many examples of similar projects around the UK and beyond (e.g. Old Chalk New Downs in Kent, and the River Restoration Centre provide guidance on setting up fixed-point photography sites).
With the increase in interest in citizen science, and the enhanced capabilities of web and social media, fixed-point photography is now being implemented in multiple locations and engaging a wide public. The CoastSnap project that started in Australia is advancing the possibilities in the use and application of photos acquired through this approach, particularly in terms of involving the public in the process and deriving measurements and understanding from the photos taken.
The Deben PhotoPosts are already capturing aspects of change in the coast that are not evident through standard monitoring approaches, and as our archive grows, we are certain that the record will be invaluable in supporting improved understanding and inform flood and coastal erosion risk management.