Coastal erosion affects nearly 70% of global beaches, threatening ecosystems and socio-economic development. This study proposes a monitoring framework integrating Differential GNSS RTK, RPA photogrammetry with PPK, and high-resolution satellite imagery to evaluate shoreline change and beach profiles along Panama’s Pacific coast. Short-term (3–5 months) and long-term (13 years) analyses were conducted using DSAS metrics—End Point Rate (EPR) and Net Shoreline Movement (NSM)—to quantify erosion trends. Results show Differential GNSS provides superior accuracy for sandy beach profiling, while RPA photogrammetry is effective in complex terrains such as rocky-bottom beaches. Combining RPA and satellite imagery enhances long-term shoreline monitoring. The proposed plan offers a scalable, cost-effective approach for coastal management, supporting evidence-based policy, land-use planning, and disaster risk reduction, while serving as a methodological reference for future research.

Coastal erosion is the negative effect between the input and output of sediments in coastal areas. These alterations in the morphology of the coasts leave with them negative socioeconomic and ecosystem impacts. New topographic technologies allow monitoring coastal erosion at low cost and with large spatial coverage. This research seeks to compare topographic techniques with GNSS RTK and RPA PPK for monitoring coastal erosion. A comparison was made of beach profile measurements made with GNSS and RPA for one day (April 24, 2023) on the sandy beaches of Farallón, Coclé. A 450 m long transect was analyzed to determine: the difference in elevation of the averages of beach profiles and similarity (slope) of the profiles along the defined transect. The results showed an average elevation difference of 70 cm between both techniques and similar slopes of 0.10 for the average profiles constructed. It is concluded that the digital photogrammetry technique with RPA PPK can be used to conduct coastal erosion research in areas of difficult access, where humans do not have a greater reach. The beach profile survey technique using GNSS RTK can provide greater benefits when working on research with short-or medium-term monitoring. It is recommended that more studies of this type be carried out in coastal areas devoid of vegetation and infrastructure.