Integrated Observatory of Coastal Erosion and Flood Risks in Brittany (OSIRISC)

Région Bretagne, Département du Finistère, pilot sites (Morbihan Gulf Regional Natural Park) – France 

Porteur leader : LETG-IUEM-UBO

Dates : 2016-2030

 

Classification

Risks

Solutions

Actors

Costs

Summary

In close cooperation with coastal risks management stakeholders, OSIRISC developed an innovative and multidisciplinary monitoring system to promote integrated and more efficient management of these risks. In this regard, the project aimed to:

  • 1) Elaborate a unique methodology of interdisciplinary observation of coastal erosion and flood risks. Through the selection and creation of indicators and indexes tailored for research and management, this methodology includes every dimension of systemic vulnerability (hazards, challenges, management and representation); 
  • 2) Assess and reinforce by testing this method among local stakeholders and on the pilot sites; 
  • 3) Deploy tools of diffusion and spatial data sharing within Spatial Data Infrastructures and analyse the outputs. 

OSIRISC consists of the co-construction, between researchers and stakeholders-managers, of an integrated observatory for long-term monitoring of the vulnerability of coastal territories. OSIRISC was carried out jointly with the OSIRISC+ project. Thanks to funding from the Fondation de France and the DREAL Bretagne and the combined efforts of these two projects, the scientific team can make its results available to any interested user.

Actions

OSIRISC carries out monitoring activities to observe and understand the coastal dynamics in Brittany regarding erosion and submersion risks. The observatory gathers, hosts and maintains regional data to disseminate them and make them available.

58 indicators of hazards, issues, management and representations

As part of the elaboration of indicators, the following steps have been undertaken: i) first proposing a first set of indicators for each component; ii) informing their participation in the systemic vulnerability; iii) describing their interest (scientific and management) and classifying them according to their relevance and feasibility; iv) proposing an identical rating method whatever the indicator and the component; iv) submitting this set of indicators to the expertise of the elected officials and managers of the COPIL before definitively selecting them to be integrated into the indicators of the observatory.

Hazard data acquisition protocols

Protocols for the collection of erosion and submersion data have been drawn up, making it possible to propose more or less advanced technical means of acquisition, depending on the skills and measuring equipment available in the municipalities. These protocols include photographic monitoring of sites, topographic surveys of beach and cliff profiles or even complete coastal zones.

OSI

OSI is an online mapping application, of “web-GIS” type, allowing to archive data through time and space describing the four components of systemic vulnerability to marine erosion and submersion, to exploit them in order to measure the vulnerability of territories before representing them graphically (Marcel et al., 2018). Intended for both researchers and managers, this application should serve as an interface for multi-criteria analysis and vulnerability management support. Its design is based on two guiding principles: 

  • The scientific integrity of the data builds on a shared methodology, developed by a multidisciplinary team that allows a systemic analysis of coastal vulnerability; 
  • The relevance of the tool builds on the integration of local authorities’ technical teams, from the design of the indicators to the visualization of the data.

Outcomes

To date, the OSIRISC project contributes to knowledge sharing and capacity building through the OSI tool and is drawing increasing interest from managers and decision-makers

Establishing close relationships between academic and applied research; associating researchers and regional, departmental and local managers; extending interdisciplinarity (human and social sciences; law and economics, natural sciences) were essential in the implementation and success of the project.

One of the main challenges for the OSIRISC project is to sustain the approach over the long term. 

Partners

Technical partners: Département du Finistère, Public Institution of Inter-municipality Cooperation (EPCI), Municipalities, Golfe du Morbihan Regional Natural Park

Financial partners: Fondation de France, CNRS, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Dreal Bretagne, Conseil Départemental du Finistère.

Resources