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GLOBAL OCEAN ALERT SYSTEM
 

Critical Need: More than 7 million tons of garbage reaches the marine environment every year. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has estimated that up to 80% of marine debris starts out on land. From there it makes its way into the lakes, rivers and streams that form an extensive network—a circulatory system—that can carry trash across continents and straight into the heart—our ocean. Marine debris has no geographic or political boundaries, so solutions must involve international partnerships and be global in scope.

Solution: In response, the Ocean Recovery Alliance has created Global Alert: Floating Trash, an innovative program that will increase interaction and connectivity to the issue by allowing users to report, rate and map plastic pollution levels in their rivers via mobile devices and web-based platforms. This will broaden awareness, aggregate information flow, and spur solutions to reduce plastic debris outflows via the world’s rivers.  Global Alert will accomplish this goal by addressing a number of issues that include:

  • Raising awareness about marine debris by connecting communities living “upriver” and those living by the ocean
  • Providing a tool to help communities visualize and draw the link between plastic and debris moving from their river to the sea
  • Facilitating collaborative management practices between organizations, agencies and the general public
  • Inspiring new methods of protection or improvements at every stage of the pollution cycle, from prevention to energy recovery

Indonesia

Plastic pollution is pervasive in the environment.

rivers to ocean

Connecting river "coastlines" to oceans.

GOAS

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 HOW IT WORKS  
  Citizen Science and Reporting
Users around the world will be able to participate with mobile devices or normal web-based platforms by uploading photos, videos and “floating debris ratings” for the river. The GOAS will combine this user-generated data about floating debris (primarily plastic) with weather data pulled from various sources. The debris data will be layered on a custom Google Map, allowing for a variety of “warning” colors to appear along river banks, either far upstream, or at the river mouth, depending on the community “pollution” rating for that river (based on visual debris observations). The Global Ocean Alert System will highlight problem river areas, where debris can be significant, to inform and motivate individuals, NGOs, universities and local governments to take action to reduce marine debris outflow. In later phases, increased data-heavy, scientific functionality will be added to the platform through the incorporation of a professional GIS watershed solution, allowing for scientific, university and governmental use on an even broader scale.

Participation and Partners
GOAS will initially focus on working with partners from the top NGOs globally (those focused on rivers, oceans, coastal protection and sports), eco-tourism sites/communities, universities, businesses, government agencies and fishermen.  Early partners will include the following:
  • National Geographic Society is in discussions with GOAS as an outreach and education partner to spread the message about the platform’s applications as a tool for communities to use worldwide to minimize plastic debris.
  • United Nations Environment Program is interested in aiding and implementing the use of GOAS.
  • Clinton Global Initiative was the launch event for the announcement of the Global Ocean Alert System in September 2010, and CGI has asked the Ocean Recovery Alliance to return in 2011.
  • Google Earth’s platform will be the basis for the mapping capacity within the GOAS platform.  It is likely to support the visibility of GOAS when launched, as it complements the information they provide, and demonstrates ways that groups can use their systems to create global environmental improvements.
  • Blackstone Ranch Institute supports results-oriented conversations around environmental challenges.
  • International Futures Forum supports transformative responses to complex challenges and restoring capacity for effective action.
  • Obscura Digital delivers groundbreaking immersive and interactive experiences and technology that ignites the sparks of imagination.
  • The Baum Foundation is providing support for pre-launch organization, management and outreach.