Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland: Developing a Geohazard Citizen Observatory to Assist Risk Management

A pilot geohazard citizen observatory on the Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland, successfully integrated community engagement with advanced monitoring techniques to enhance landslide risk management. The study recorded numerous landslide events and developed a millimetre-scale reference dataset for future change detection analysis. By leveraging satellite data from the Copernicus programme, LiDAR surveys, photogrammetry, and citizen-collected data through a mobile application, researchers improved understanding of geohazard exposure at two high-traffic sites: Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-rede. Outreach events raised awareness among local communities, fostering active participation in hazard monitoring. This approach demonstrates the potential for citizen observatories to support evidence-based risk management in UNESCO World Heritage Sites with complex geological vulnerabilities.

Parker, K., Lemon, K., & Gomes, R. C. (2025). Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland: Developing a Geohazard Citizen Observatory to Assist Risk Management. Citizens’ Observatories on Geohazards, 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53371-6_12