Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant joined with several partners to increase coastal monitoring in southern Lake Michigan by installing a camera at Indiana Dunes State Park (IDSP).

The IDSP camera, part of the Webcam Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) network through the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA), will enhance coastal resilience in the region by supporting coastal research, management, and hazard communications.

See the camera views here!
WebCOOS
Seagull GLOS

 

Fostering Outreach, Engagement, and Education

The IDSP camera provides video recordings, 1-minute stills, and a live video stream that will be used by scientists, weather forecasters, coastal managers, practitioners, and decision makers to enhance coastal resilience and safety in southern Lake Michigan. Some key uses include:
Improving coastal safety.

• Analyzing coastal processes and impacts.
• Contextualizing coastal change through storytelling.
• Translating coastal science to support local decision-makers.
• Educating students, communities, and local stakeholders.
• Enhancing public accessibility and virtual tourism.
• Providing insights on live beach conditions, usage, and wave activity.

The camera enhances local coastal monitoring efforts in southern Lake Michigan, with a built-in shoreline detection feature. In addition, the camera can improve safety along the southern Lake Michigan coastline. For example, the Chicago National Weather Service plans to use the camera to support nearshore forecasting and observation.

Partners

Partners include SECOORA, the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), Indiana Dunes State Park (Indiana Department of Natural Resources), and support from Surfline. This project was implemented by SECOORA and GLOS, with funding from the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System through the Ocean Technology Transition grant program, and in collaboration with local partners.

User Needs and Impact Insights

“Real-time intelligence is an essential situational awareness (SA) tool for the modern National Weather Service. At weather forecast offices, webcams have become as foundational to our daily operations as the radar, satellite, observational, and model data. In the realm of beach water safety, our mission is to help mitigate drowning rescues and fatalities. Having a live view of wave conditions at a typically highly populated beach in our area, such as Indiana Dunes State Park, would play an integral role in that mission. This one cam would be a powerful enhancement to our beach SA, which if proven successful, would hopefully be the start of a more expansive webcam network along the Lake Michigan shore.” – National Weather Service

For further information, contact Sarah Peterson, peter973@purdue.edu.