A database of major breakwaters around the world

This paper introduces a co-operative project to develop, populate, and then to apply a database on all major breakwaters around the world. It builds on, and revives, similar initiatives that originate in the late 1970s. The paper describes the objectives in developing the database, the structure and content fields of the initial database and presents key examples from the work to date. The paper then discusses a number of potential uses of the database and plans for its future development. Data were initially entered for four structural types and the initial creation of the database categories was based on the main structural parameters and key aspects of design and construction.