Analysing variables including sediment flow, erosion rates, and human interventions is necessary to predict changes to river shorelines. Accurate change predictions is aided by the use of hydrological models, historical records, and data from remote sensing. Predicting future changes to river shorelines is made easier by having an understanding of both natural and man-made processes.

You should first get information about the channel processes and the washing directions in the riverbed-channel. That's why it's so important to have in-situ observations.