Eyesea, a nonprofit organisation with a mission to map global pollution and maritime hazards, is stepping up trials of its pollution-mapping app following the completion of its first deep sea tests with Oldendorff Carriers and Union Marine Management Services (UMMS).
Proof-of-concept readings using the prototype app were taken last month by an Oldendorff Carriers vessel near Florida and seafarers manning a Union Marine Management Services vessel off the coast of Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
“The successful tests by Oldendorff Carriers and UMMS show how easy it is for seafarers to help us accurately map global pollution by capturing observational data in the form of GPS-stamped pictures via our app. It literally takes less than 30 seconds to record a point of interest with the app,” said Graeme Somerville-Ryan, founder of the Eyesea initiative.
“It’s now a case of scaling up by route and building up the data so we can start producing the detailed maps and charts that will support targeted clean-up action and allow for evidence-based policy decisions,” Somerville-Ryan added.
Testing of the Eyesea app is now being extended to a wider range of commercial vessels covering more trade routes.
Eyesea was launched officially in December 2020. The initiative uses maritime industry-developed technology to collect observational pollution data and build comprehensive maps designed to inform and empower government and NGO environmental efforts.
