Aerial Whidbey
Informative Aerial Media and Developed-from-Aerial Media
3D geospatial modeling of shoreline and inland properties
Progressive 3D modeling to track property changes
360-degree aerial images for inspections
Aerial photos/videos, cinematography
Dike Restoration Monitoring
How fast is the beach and dike recovering after the timber sill repairs, rock seawall repairs and other recovery efforts? Where were sills or the seawall damaged by floating logs during last winter's storm surges? Did any shoreline properties adjacent to the dike have significant damage? Currently, where are the weakest and lowest points along the seawall?
On Useless Bay on Whidbey Island, the Sunlight Beach dike and adjoining levee on Deer Lagoon prevents flooding of over 700 acres of residential properties, farm lands, recreational lands (a golf course), wetlands, livestock grazing lands, and freshwater aquifers tapped by the wells of several local, residential water supply systems. As early as 2015, stronger storms, higher water levels, and the prevailing winter fetch up Admiralty Inlet have increased the rate of erosion in front of shoreline properties on the dike. Old eroding timber sills became exposed and have been repaired with the intent of slowing the erosion rate. Rocks have been added along the dike. The Commissioners of Diking District 1 sought a way to accurately measure erosions and accumulations of sand/sediment along the sills of the dike, and a way to identify where the sills should be adjusted each year to increase accumulations. Reliable annual data was needed to guide depositions of rocks of various sizes to minimize erosion at the base of the dike, and to identify lower points on the top of the dike where storm surge might overtop to flood houses or the access road.
In 2017, a new aerial monitoring system with very high accuracy became available from Klau Geomatics (Australia). In 2018, one of their first products was acquired by Aerial Whidbey, along with KlauPPK software, Pix 4D photogrammetry software (Switzerland), and Virtual Surveyor (Belgium). Starting in 2025, a new system from DJI was acquired, the Mavic 3 Enterprise with an RTK Module. Aerial images continue to be processed with KlauPPK for DJI software, with data from the nearest CORS in the Washington State Reference Network.
The baseline report for the District's 15-year Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan (MAMP) was developed by Aerial Whidbey in 2022, in coordination with Environmental Science Associates (ESA). The first Annual Monitoring Report was issued for year 2023. Aerial monitoring ceased during 2024, resuming in 2025 with the new system from DJI.
Routine programmed drone flights are conducted in spring and fall. The data and imagery in the progression of 3D terrain models provides evidence of sand accumulation and erosion each year, with detailed visualization of any storm damage to the dike, to homes on the dike, or to nearby shoreline properties on Useless Bay.
This project is being coordinated by the District with the WA State Department of Ecology, the US Army Corps of Engineers, other regulatory agencies, local tribes, and property owners in and near the dike. As contracted by Diking District 1, Aerial Whidbey LLC is responsible for developing the annual monitoring reports, and for maintaining field and office procedures to minimize operational risks and enable rapid training and assumption of contractual responsibilities.