Marine pollution is a critical and complex environmental challenge. Litter originates from multiple sources, comprises various materials, and may spread widely across economic and jurisdictional boundaries. Of particular concern is the accumulation of plastics in the environment, which may cause harmful impacts on ecosystems and human health over extended periods. Establishing effective litter regulation and management practices has proven difficult, partially because information about the extent, origins and composition of waste is unavailable.
PlastOPol Marine Litter Management Toolbox
Through our PlastOPol and DatSam projects, we are developing and testing tools and processes to empower stakeholders in co-creating clean coasts. The PlastOPol Marine Litter Management Toolbox consist of several prototype web and mobile applications to support stakeholders in litter prevention, mitigation and management activities. Prototypes are shared with users to permit rapid assessment of tool architecture, functionalities, and interface. Learn more about our tools below.
Data collection apps
Map visualization
Data visualization
Mobile apps for IoS and Android devices have been developed to support litter registration and classification. Image recognition is used to improve speed and precision in recording marine litter data.
The marine litter hot spot map permits spatiotemporal visualization of marine litter data. The prototype shows litter distribution and composition in the Ålesund region in Norway in the period 2013-2021.
The data visualization tool permits users to explore marine pollution data for Norway using multiple spatial and aspatial visualization formats.
Publications
- D. Wu, J. Liu, M. Córdova, C.C. Hellevik, J. B. Cyvin, A. Pinto, I. A. Hameed, H. Pedrini, R. S. Torres, A. M. Fet, “The PlastOPol system for marine litter monitoring by citizen scientists”, Environmental Modelling & Software, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2023.105784.
- J. Liu, D. Wu, C. C. Hellevik and H. Wang, “PlastOPol: A Collaborative Data-driven Solution for Marine Litter Detection and Monitoring,” 2023 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology (ICIT), Orlando, FL, USA, 2023, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ICIT58465.2023.10143112.
- M. Córdova, A. Pinto, C. C. Hellevik, S. A.-A. Alaliyat, I. A. Hameed, H. Pedrini, & R. da S. M. Torres, “Litter Detection with Deep Learning: A Comparative Study,” Sensors, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 548, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.3390/s22020548.
- J. B. Cyvin, H. Ervik, A. A. Kveberg, C. C. Hellevik, “Macroplastic in soil and peat. A case study from the remote islands of Mausund and Froan landscape conservation area, Norway; implications for coastal cleanups and biodiversity”, Science of The Total Environment, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147547.
- C. C. Hellevik & P. C. Deshpande, “Engaging Volunteers as Experts in Data-Driven Research Projects and a Circular Economy: The Case of PlastOPol”, in S. M. F. Grimstad et al. (eds.), Marine Plastics: Innovative Solutions to Tackling Waste, 2023, Springer, doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-31058-4_8
