Shoreline History Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This Shoreline History web site is provided as a public service by the Dare County Information Technology Office. Information presented on this web site is collected, maintained, and provided for the convenience of the public user. While every effort is made to keep such information accurate and up-to-date, Dare County does not certify the authenticity of information presented. Dare County shall under no circumstances be liable for any actions taken or omissions made from reliance on any information contained herein from whatever source or any other consequences from such reliance.

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Shoreline History Information:
The data represented with this application has been collected from several sources. The shoreline for the years 1849 through 1980 was digitized from scanned maps acquired from the Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, NC. The “hardcopy” maps were scanned and geographically rectified to the visible latitude and longitude grid.

The 1996 and 2002 shorelines were digitized using the high-water mark visible on ortho-rectified aerial photographs. These photographs were prepared under contract for Dare County to be used primarily by the Tax Assessor’s office, and were therefore created in the late winter when foliage is at its lowest, optimizing the visibility of improvements to properties.

The 1998 shoreline was created using LIDAR data provided by the Nation Park Service. LIDAR is a technology that accurately records ground elevation. This elevation data was available for 1996 and 1998. The contour line for one foot of elevation closely followed the line established in 1996 using the aerial photography, so this was used to illustrate the 1998 shoreline when no photographic data was available.