Automatic coastline extraction using edge detection and optimization proceduresAutomatic coastline extraction using edge detection and optimization procedures Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2019-05-272018enCoastal areas are quite fragile landscapes as they are among the most vulnerable to climate change and natural hazards. Coastline mapping and change detection are essential for safe navigation, resource management, environmental protection, and sustainable coastal development and planning. In this paper, we proposed a new methodology for the automatic extraction of coastline, using aerial images. This method is based on edge detection and active contours (snake method). Initially the noise of the image is reduced which is followed by an image segmentation. The output images are further processed to remove all small spatial objects and to concentrate on the spatial objects of interests. Then, the morphological operators are applied. We used aerial images taken from an aircraft and high-resolution satellite images from a coastal area in Crete, Greece, and we compared the results with geodetic measurements, to validate the methodology.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Geosciences (Switzerland)811Paravolidakis_et_al_Geosciences_8(11)_2018.pdfChania [Greece]Library of TUC2019-05-27application/pdf6.6 MBfree Paravolidakis Vasileios Παραβολιδακης Βασιλειος Ragia Lemonia Ραγια Λεμονια Moirogiorgou Konstantia Μοιρογιωργου Κωνσταντια Zervakis Michail Ζερβακης Μιχαηλ MDPI Aerial images Coastline extraction Edge detection Optimization Remote sensing