COASTAL

COASTAL - Coastal Spatial Transformations: Analysis of Land-use - is a repository for the data and analysis of urban and land-use transformations in the Northern Coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

This project investigates the patterns of urban and land cover changes in the municipalities of Osório, Tramandaí, and Imbé from 1985 to 2023.

By using spatial modeling and open data from IBGE and MapBiomas, the analysis explores how urbanization, tourism, and conurbation have reshaped the landscape and impacted sensitive coastal ecosystems.

Key findings

• Urban sprawl in Osório: Osório is a regional hub with a dispersed and fragmented urban growth pattern.
• Densification in Tramandaí: Tramandaí is a major tourist center, showing continuous growth and urban densification.
• Seasonal dynamics in Imbé: Imbé has rapid, seasonal-driven growth that encroaches on environmentally sensitive areas like dunes and coastal vegetation.

Repository structure

coastal/
├── data/              # Raw and processed data
│   ├── csv/           # CSV files
│   └── gpkg/          # GeoPackage files
├── docs/              # Additional documentation
├── figures/           # Maps and graphs
├── notebooks/         # Analysis scripts and notebooks
├── .gitattributes     # Git LFS configuration
├── .gitignore         # Files to be ignored by Git
├── LICENSE            # The GNU General Public License v3.0
└── README.md          # This file