The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) test site, located off the northeast coast of Gran Canaria facing Telde and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has been selected for a pilot study focused on using Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based monitoring tools and new technologies to track ocean waste.
This initiative is part of the European CIRCULAROCEAN project, in which PLOCAN participates, aimed at improving marine waste management in the Eastern Mid-Atlantic through a circular economy approach.
Key objectives of CIRCULAROCEAN include strengthening marine debris collection and monitoring systems, increasing waste treatment capacities, and transforming the current waste management model towards a circular economy by valorizing marine debris as raw materials or by-products.
PLOCAN’s essential contribution to the initiative centers on monitoring and innovation for tracking marine debris. “Among other actions, PLOCAN will collaborate in mapping and identifying the main marine litter accumulation zones in each region and help define mitigation strategies for these areas,” said PLOCAN technology specialist Laura Cardona.
Regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence, the scientist explained, “PLOCAN has a camera system with AI algorithms that allow for automated detection, classification, and alert generation, developed within the framework of another project in which PLOCAN also participates, Smart Coast AI Solutions 4.0, from the Ports 4.0 call.”
During the CIRCULAROCEAN pilot study, images of marine debris will be collected to feed new AI algorithms, and a simulation will be conducted with drifting buoys in a controlled environment of the test site, using tools such as drones and hyperspectral cameras.
“The aim is to facilitate the identification and selection of marine litter and integrate them into insular waste treatment systems, add value, and include them in business models to generate economic growth while promoting environmental awareness,” Cardona stated.
The CIRCULAROCEAN project aims to generate knowledge and awareness about the issue of marine debris, exchange and transfer best practices, experiences, and demonstrator projects in its management, promoting prevention, conservation, and recovery of coastal and marine spaces in the Eastern Mid-Atlantic.
The initiative is coordinated by the Vice-Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Energy of the Canary Islands Government and involves 15 other partners from the regions of Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde, Ghana, and São Tomé and Príncipe, with the goal of fostering transnational collaboration to implement sustainable practices.
CIRCULAROCEAN, with code 1/MAC/2/2.6/0023, was approved in the first call of the INTERREG VI-D MAC (Madeira-Azores-Canarias) 2021-2027 Territorial Cooperation Program and has a budget of 2.2 million euros, 85% co-financed by ERDF Funds. The initiative falls under the MAC GREEN priority 2 and the specific objective 2.6. “Promotion of the transition towards a circular and resource-efficient economy” of the INTERREG MAC 2021-2027 Territorial Cooperation Program.
