Leiria will combat marine litter with drones

Municipality of Leiria joins a project that uses drones for the detection, search and autonomous inspection of marine litter in coastal areas.

The Municipality of Leiria joined the "UAS4LITTER" project, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology, which is being developed by researchers from INESC Coimbra, UC-MARE and NOVA.ID_MARE research centers.

The main goal of the project is to develop a low-cost integrated system (software and hardware), based on drones, for the mapping of marine litter. At this stage, the target area of development and testing is between Pedrógão beach and Figueira da Foz, in three beaches with distinct levels of marine pollution and urbanization pressures.

The municipality clarifies that the findings resulting from the UAS4Litter project will be translated into practical guidelines for the mapping and monitoring of marine litter in coastal areas for a wide range of end users that is crucial for the mitigation of marine litter pollution.

Source: Observador