Jin-Si Over is a geographer with the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. A drone pilot and structure-from-motion specialist, she supports the Remote Sensing Coastal Change group and Aerial Imaging and Mapping group with GIS and surveying experience.
I have a background in micro-paleontology and working in coastal paleo-environments but gained more modern coastal mapping experience through the NOAA Hollings Scholars program in Hawaii - the beach stole my heart.
Now, as a geographer, my job enables me support coastal data collection, management, and scientific dissemination surrounding coastal responses to storms and hurricanes. This centers around GIS data, aerial imagery and stationary imagery, and processing imagery using structure-from-motion. I focus on datasets on Cape Cod National Seashore and on the Outer Banks. I am also a DOI and FAA licensed drone-pilot and assist in operations at beaches and marshes.
Additionally, I am active in science communication and mentoring efforts on the local scale and am passionate about fostering an inclusive and diverse scientific community.
Professional Experience
Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, 2020-Present
Geomorphologist and GIS specialist, Geoscientists in the Parks Program/Rutgers University, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2019-2020
Education and Certifications
M.Sc. Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, B.C., 2019
B.S. Geology with minor in Oceanography, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2016
Science and Products
Remote Sensing Coastal Change
DUNEX Aerial Imagery of the Outer Banks
DUNEX Pea Island Experiment
Aerial Imaging and Mapping
Topographic and multispectral reflectance products, aerial imagery, spectral reflectance profiles, vegetation surveys, and associated GPS data collected during uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations: Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, Octob
Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet, Massachusetts in March 2023, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2023-012-FA
Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro, Massachusetts in March and April 2023, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2023-011-FA
Topographic, bathymetric, multispectral, vegetation, sediment, and supporting GPS data collected on North Core Banks, Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina in October 2022, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-034-FA
Aerial photogrammetry data and products of the North Carolina coast
Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet, MA in March 2022, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-014-FA
Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro, MA in March 2022, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-015-FA
Grain-size analysis data of sediment samples from the beach and nearshore environments at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge DUNEX site, North Carolina in 2021
DUNEX topographic, bathymetric, and supporting GPS data collected in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina 2020-2021
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2020-02-08 to 2020-02-09
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2020-05-08 to 2020-05-09
Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow, Truro in February 2021, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-014-FA
Contributions to uncertainty in runup forecasts
Contributions to uncertainty in runup forecasts
Modeling total water level and coastal change at Pea Island, North Carolina, USA
Temporal variability of runup and total water level on Cape Cod sandy beaches
Sound-side inundation and seaward erosion of a barrier island during hurricane landfall
Human-in-the-Loop segmentation of earth surface imagery
Labeling poststorm coastal imagery for machine learning: Measurement of interrater agreement
Processing coastal imagery with Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition, version 1.6—Structure from motion workflow documentation
IntroductionStructure from motion (SFM) has become an integral technique in coastal change assessment; the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) used Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition photogrammetry software to develop a workflow that processes coastline aerial imagery collected in response to storms since Hurricane Florence in 2018. This report details step-by-step instructions to create three-dimen
A survey of storm-induced seaward-transport features observed during the 2019 and 2020 hurricane seasons
Science and Products
- Science
Remote Sensing Coastal Change
We use remote-sensing technologies—such as aerial photography, satellite imagery, structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and lidar (laser-based surveying)—to measure coastal change along U.S. shorelines.DUNEX Aerial Imagery of the Outer Banks
The During Nearshore Event Experiment (DUNEX) project is a large collaborative scientific study focusing on understanding the consequences of coastal storms on the morphology of coastal ecosystems. By flying large sections of the coast and collecting still images using structure from motion (SfM) techniques, we hope to contribute high resolution (20cm) elevation maps for time series comparisons...DUNEX Pea Island Experiment
The DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX) is an aggregation of multiple scientific organizations collaborating to increase understanding of nearshore processes. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has chosen Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge as a study location to investigate and characterize the magnitude and timing of changes to coastal morphology (i.e., dunes, shorelines), bathymetry, and...Aerial Imaging and Mapping
The Aerial Imaging and Mapping group (AIM), at the U.S. Geological Survey Woods (USGS) Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center provides UAS services to scientists to advance the science mission of the Coastal and Marine Geology Program. Scientists at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center have been using UASs to acquire imagery of coastal and wetland environments, which is then used to... - Data
Filter Total Items: 15
Topographic and multispectral reflectance products, aerial imagery, spectral reflectance profiles, vegetation surveys, and associated GPS data collected during uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations: Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, Octob
Low-altitude (70 m above ground level) aerial images were collected over 5 areas of interest within the northern portion of Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS) in mid-October, 2022. These images were collected to generate photogrammetric products (e.g. digital surface model (DSM), reflectance orthomosaic) for five areas of interest along the northern portion of the island to support sciencTopographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet, Massachusetts in March 2023, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2023-012-FA
The data in this release re-map the beach and nearshore environment at Marconi Beach in Wellfleet, MA and provide updated environmental context for the 2021 CoastCam installation that looks out at the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. This is related to the field activity 2022-014-FA and a collaboration with the National Park Service at Cape Cod National Seashore to monitoTopographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro, Massachusetts in March and April 2023, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2023-011-FA
The data in this release re-map the beach and nearshore environment at Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, MA and provide updated environmental context for the 2020 CoastCam installation that looks out at the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. This is related to the field activity 2022-015-FA and a collaboration with the National Park Service at Cape Cod National Seashore toTopographic, bathymetric, multispectral, vegetation, sediment, and supporting GPS data collected on North Core Banks, Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina in October 2022, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-034-FA
These data map in high detail surficial cross-sections of North Core Banks, a barrier island in Cape Lookout National Seashore, NC, in October 2022. U.S. Geological Survey field efforts are part of an interagency agreement with the National Park Service to monitor the recovery of the island from Hurricanes Florence (2018) and Dorian (2019). Three sites of outwash, overwash, and pond formation wereAerial photogrammetry data and products of the North Carolina coast
This data release presents structure-from-motion (SfM) products derived from aerial imagery collected along the North Carolina coast in response to storm events and the recovery process. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers use the aerial imagery and products to assess future coastal vulnerability, nesting habitats for wildlife, and provide data for hurricane impact models. This research is pTopographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet, MA in March 2022, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-014-FA
The data in this release map the beach and nearshore environment at Marconi Beach in Wellfleet, MA and provide updated environmental context for the 2021 CoastCam installation that looks out at the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. This is related to the field activity 2022-014-FA and a collaboration with the National Park Service at Cape Cod National Seashore to monitor tTopographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro, MA in March 2022, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-015-FA
These data map the beach and nearshore environment at Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, MA, providing updated regional context for the 2019 CoastCam installation. CoastCam CACO-01 are two video cameras aimed at the beach that view the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. These data were collected as part of field activity 2022-015-FA and a collaboration with the National ParGrain-size analysis data of sediment samples from the beach and nearshore environments at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge DUNEX site, North Carolina in 2021
These data provide grain-size measurements from sediment samples collected as part of the USGS DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX) site on Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, NC. DUNEX is a multi-agency, academic, and non-governmental organization collaborative community experiment designed to study nearshore coastal processes during storm events. USGS participation in DUNEX will contributeDUNEX topographic, bathymetric, and supporting GPS data collected in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina 2020-2021
The data in this release characterize the beach and nearshore environment in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, NC at the USGS DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX) site and Basnight Bridge. Data include GPS surveys, reference points, and ground control points; imagery and structure-from-motion products; bathymetry data, and merged topographic and bathymetric grids. To cite a specific dataAerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2020-02-08 to 2020-02-09
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three-dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2020-05-08 to 2020-05-09
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three-dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow, Truro in February 2021, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-014-FA
These data map the beach and nearshore environment at Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, MA, providing updated regional context for the 2019 CoastCam installation. CoastCam CACO-01 are two video cameras aimed at the beach that view the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. These data were collected as part of field activity 2021-014-FA and a collaboration with the National Par - Multimedia
- Publications
Contributions to uncertainty in runup forecasts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides operational forecasts of total water levels (TWL) and coastal change. Uncertainties around forecast TWL are based on the temporal and spatial range of observed beach slopes near the forecast site. This paper investigates other sources of uncertainty that are not accounted for, focusing on four beaches where the USGS has deployed remote cameras, and on outAuthorsChristopher R. Sherwood, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Peter A. Traykovski, Jin-Si R. Over, Erin Lyons, David S. Foster, Jennifer L. Miselis, Timothy Nelson, Erdinc SogutContributions to uncertainty in runup forecasts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides operational forecasts of total water levels (TWL) and coastal change. Uncertainties around forecast TWL are based on the temporal and spatial range of observed beach slopes near the forecast site. This paper investigates other sources of uncertainty that are not accounted for, focusing on four beaches where the USGS has deployed remote cameras, and on outAuthorsChristopher R. Sherwood, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Peter A. Traykovski, Jin-Si R. Over, David S. Foster, Jennifer L. Miselis, Tim Nelson, Erdinc SogutModeling total water level and coastal change at Pea Island, North Carolina, USA
The DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX) was carried out on Pea Island, North Carolina, USA between September-October 2021. We use a coupled numerical model (Windsurf) to hindcast the evolution of the DUNEX transect and produce a time series of hourly water levels at the shoreline from the model output. In addition to assessing the ability of Windsurf to reproduce TWL, we use model output paiAuthorsMichael Christopher Itzkin, Margaret Louise Palmsten, Mark L. Buckley, Christopher R. Sherwood, Jenna A. Brown, Jin-Si R. Over, Peter A. TraykovskiTemporal variability of runup and total water level on Cape Cod sandy beaches
In the present study, we evaluate the temporal variability in runup and total water level for sandy beaches along Cape Cod (Massachusetts, USA), and their impact on dune and beach erosion. We use a 43-year hindcast of waves and water levels and calculate runup and total water level based on the Stockdon formulation using previously extracted beach slopes. The dominant components of the runup are iAuthorsAlfredo Aretxabaleta, Christopher R. Sherwood, B.O. Blanton, Jin-Si R. Over, Peter A. Traykovski, Erdinc SogutSound-side inundation and seaward erosion of a barrier island during hurricane landfall
Barrier islands are especially vulnerable to hurricanes and other large storms, owing to their mobile composition, low elevations, and detachment from the mainland. Conceptual models of barrier-island evolution emphasize ocean-side processes that drive landward migration through overwash, inlet migration, and aeolian transport. In contrast, we found that the impact of Hurricane Dorian (2019) on NoAuthorsChristopher R. Sherwood, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jin-Si R. Over, Christine J. Kranenburg, Jonathan Warrick, Jenna A. Brown, Wayne Wright, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Sara Zeigler, Phillipe Alan Wernette, Daniel D. Buscombe, Christie HegermillerHuman-in-the-Loop segmentation of earth surface imagery
Segmentation, or the classification of pixels (grid cells) in imagery, is ubiquitously applied in the natural sciences. Manual methods are often prohibitively time-consuming, especially those images consisting of small objects and/or significant spatial heterogeneity of colors or textures. Labeling complicated regions of transition that in Earth surface imagery are represented by collections of miAuthorsDaniel D. Buscombe, Evan B. Goldstein, Christopher R. Sherwood, Cameron S Bodine, Jenna A. Brown, Jaycee Favela, Sharon Fitzpatrick, Christine J. Kranenburg, Jin-Si R. Over, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jonathan Warrick, Phillipe Alan WernetteLabeling poststorm coastal imagery for machine learning: Measurement of interrater agreement
Classifying images using supervised machine learning (ML) relies on labeled training data—classes or text descriptions, for example, associated with each image. Data-driven models are only as good as the data used for training, and this points to the importance of high-quality labeled data for developing a ML model that has predictive skill. Labeling data is typically a time-consuming, manual procAuthorsEvan B. Goldstein, Daniel D. Buscombe, Eli D. Lazarus, Somya Mohanty, Shah N. Rafique, K A Anarde, Andrew D Ashton, Tomas Beuzen, Katherine A. Castagno, Nicholas Cohn, Matthew P. Conlin, Ashley Ellenson, Megan Gillen, Paige A. Hovenga, Jin-Si R. Over, Rose V. Palermo, Katherine Ratlif, Ian R Reeves, Lily H. Sanborn, Jessamin A. Straub, Luke A. Taylor, Elizabeth J. Wallace, Jonathan Warrick, Phillipe Alan Wernette, Hannah E WilliamsByProcessing coastal imagery with Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition, version 1.6—Structure from motion workflow documentation
IntroductionStructure from motion (SFM) has become an integral technique in coastal change assessment; the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) used Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition photogrammetry software to develop a workflow that processes coastline aerial imagery collected in response to storms since Hurricane Florence in 2018. This report details step-by-step instructions to create three-dimen
AuthorsJin-Si R. Over, Andrew C. Ritchie, Christine J. Kranenburg, Jenna A. Brown, Daniel D. Buscombe, Tom Noble, Christopher R. Sherwood, Jonathan A. Warrick, Phillipe A. WernetteByEcosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Hurricane Florence, HurricanesA survey of storm-induced seaward-transport features observed during the 2019 and 2020 hurricane seasons
Hurricanes are known to play a critical role in reshaping coastlines, but often only impacts on the open ocean coast are considered, ignoring seaward-directed forces and responses. The identification of subaerial evidence for storm-induced seaward transport is a critical step towards understanding its impact on coastal resiliency. The visual features, found in the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAuthorsJin-Si R. Over, Jenna A. Brown, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christie Hegermiller, Phillipe Alan Wernette, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jonathan Warrick - News