海岸地形學者欲了解一段海岸過去數年至數百年尺度變遷的情形，最常用的方法是比對各種圖像資料－地圖，航空照片和衛星影像。各種圖像資料的製作原理、涵蓋時間的長短、所載資料的立即性、使用的方便性、判讀的難易、比例尺或精度也各不相同，所以各類圖像資料可以互補不足。對海岸地形變遷的研究而言，各種圖像資料所包含的誤差必須遠小於海岸地形的變遷量，否則所得結果將無意義。而所能蒐集到的最早可用的資料就決定了此研究所能涵蓋的時間與空間尺度。本文以花東海岸為例，主要的目的是檢討各種圖像資料在海岸地形變遷研究上的可應用性以及限制，最後則提出資料使用上遭遇的問題，就教於製圖、測量界的先進。

An usual method to determine the coastal change over the period of several years to hundreds years is to compare the pictorial materials which are available. Among them, maps, aerial photographs and satellite images are the most commonly applied. All pict6orial materials convcey certain amount of errors and the material is not usable when the error involved is larger than the amount of change of the target features. The main aim of this study is, with Huatrung coast of the eastern Taiwan as a cast, to illustrate the availability and limitation of pictorial materials when tackling with the topic of coastal change of which the coast changes less dramatic.