Transforming Coastal Research: The Impact of AirSage Data on BEACON's Beach Visitation Studies

About BEACON

The Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment also known as BEACON is a California Joint Powers Agency (JPA) established in 1986 to address coastal erosion, beach nourishment and clean oceans within the Central California Coast. BEACON is involved in an array of coastal studies and projects within its jurisdiction and works in close coordination with the parks, planning and public works departments of BEACON’s member agencies. Kiki Patsch is the co-chair of the Science Advisory Committee and has been serving in this role for 4 years.

Challenge

Historically, BEACON received beach visitation data from lifeguard counts, paid visitor information from state parks, and periodic intercept surveys. However, these sources were historically poor - often geographically constrained or limited in time or representation. They did not provide a comprehensive picture of what was actually happening. Because of that, Kiki Patsch, Marc Beyeler (BEACON's Executive Director), and their team were not able to reliably answer questions like: How many people were at the beach and how long were they staying? Does visitation change with water quality? What is the economic impact of that?

Decision

When considering alternative data sources, Kiki, Marc, and their team viewed the online story map based on the paper produced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called "Using data derived from cellular phone locations to estimate visitation to natural areas: An application to water recreation in New England, USA". They were impressed by the amount of information that AirSage data could provide. So, excitedly, they called the EPA to ask about how it compared to her beach visitation data. After talking with the EPA, they discovered that AirSage’s Target Location Analysis, or POI data, was more accurate and contained more detail than her existing beach visitation data. With AirSage data, they could see when people go to the beach, how long they stayed, how far they travel, which beaches serve underserved communities, and could ultimately understand her beach visitors more holistically than before.

Kiki decided to contact AirSage. She worked with the AirSage team to customize her POI dataset to include additional attributes that were important to her team. Ultimately, she felt the deliverable was exactly what she needed. When reflecting on her experience, Kiki said, "We had a really great experience working with AirSage. There was great communication. I felt prioritized."

Results

Now using AirSage data, Kiki, Marc, and their team are able to make better recommendations about the Central California beaches to the local agencies. For example, they helped a local authority advocate for funding to ensure beach amenities (like bathrooms) matched beach visitation. Additionally, they have been able to broaden their research to include a wider variety of topics including beach visitation during COVID, urban heat islands, and water quality.

Greater spatio-temporal coverage

BEACON received greater sample sizes and broader spatiotemporal coverage with AirSage POI data compared to previous data sources.

Higher accuracy

AirSage data is more accurate and complete than traditional methods which included headcounts by lifeguards and paid admissions to state parks.

More insights

AirSage provides greater insights about beach visitors, including how far away they have traveled, demographics, and socio-economic factors.
*For more information about BEACON's use of AirSage Target Location Analysis data, you may refer to the report called "Estimating Beach Visitation Using Cellphone-derived Locational Data" prepared by Kiki Patsch, Dorothy Horn, Marc Beyeler, Elena Eger, Ari Eger-Beyeler, Mario Sandoval, and Nate Merrill.
“The AirSage team is wonderful, and the data is very informative.”
- Kiki Patsch
Science Advisory Committee Co-Chair, BEACON
Schedule a Meeting
airsage logo white

2146 Roswell Rd.
Suite 108, PMB 862
Marietta, GA 30062
sales@airsage.com

Products
Trip Matrix / O-D DataPedestrian Activity DensityActivity DensityTarget Location AnalysisAirSage PlatformCV Data
Company
Resources
Subscribe
© 2024 AirSage Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy PolicyTerms of Service
cross