AV News: Drones Helping Rid Oceans Of Plastic Waste

An increase of plastic materials found in the ocean continues to be a concern around the world. One group is hoping drones can help minimize the plastic pollution issue. The Plastic Tide is a UK-based organization with the goal of researching just how much plastic is washing up on beaches throughout the world. To do that, they’re taking to the skies to measure the impact of all that waste. The company uses an algorithm that takes hundreds of thousands of aerial pictures to identify plastic on the beaches. The Plastic Tide also plans to have a global database that will include images from all over the world where the increase of plastic is troublesome. The idea for all of this came about when company founder Peter Kohler traveled to the South Pacific in 2008 and became fascinated by the problem of pollution he saw on his journey. The organization now includes experts on both the technological and environmental sides of the equation as they team up to use drones for good. Plastic Tide hopes to keep expanding its database, including areas besides coastlines. The group also relies on help from the community, who can tag plastic items in images uploaded to theplastictide.com. So what does the company do with the aerial data it collects? Those images can be used to track things like: which companies are most at fault for pollution; determining the impact the plastic pollution is having on the environment; and helping facilitate clean-up efforts. To see more stories on how drones are making a positive impact in our world, check out our Drones for Good on AirVūz News Collection.