Geovation, an Ordnance Surveys open innovation hub, has launched a challenge to the UK Hydrographic Office to find a sustainable solution for diffuse coastal pollution. The winners will receive a prize up to 5,000.
Great Britain, an island nation, has a coastline that stretches almost 20,000 miles (including islands). The majority of the population lives within 100 mile of the coastline. Therefore, diffuse coastal pollution is likely that it will affect all of us in some way.
Not only are our coastlines at risk from extreme storms and coastal erosion, but also from sea level rise due to climate change, but there are a variety of diffuse pollution sources that can impact the water quality and pollute our coast areas, which has a negative effect on the ecosystem.
Although diffuse pollution is often small in scale, it can have a significant impact on the environment when combined with other sources. Diffuse coastal pollution can be caused by pollution from the ocean, land and agriculture.
Diffuse coastal pollution can result from agricultural run-off, when pesticides and other chemicals are lost from farms into rivers, streams, and ponds. This is also the case in urban areas, where poorly plumbed drainage systems and untreated wastewater can cause flooding from sewers. These chemicals can build up along the coast and in estuaries, which can affect wildlife and residents.
The challenge will address the important issue that diffuse pollution is causing on our coasts. It will also look at sustainable solutions to improve water quality and profitability from agriculture to the water sewage infrastructure.
Geovation is a company that works with start-ups and innovators to provide them with accurate and timely data and the expertise they need to address the most pressing global, regional, and local issues that impact people and the planet. The OS Data Hub is the most accurate and comprehensive view of GB’s landscape and terrain. This data will be supplemented by data from UK Hydrographic Office, Met Office, and British Geological Survey in order to identify and implement viable solutions to protect the 20,000 miles of coastline in GB.
Geovation has supported 130 start-ups so far, which have gone on to raise over 116m in funding, and create more than 700 jobs. Geovation has provided support to many sustainable-focused start ups, including Refill which assists people in finding places to eat and drink with less waste and Paua which aims to simplify electric car charging and allow more people to own EVs.
Carly Morris, Head at Geovation, stated: The coastal challenge is an excellent way to inspire and stimulate collaboration using geospatial and maritime data so that innovators can, with the support of our Geovation community to devise sustainable solutions to address critical environmental issues.
The UK’s environmental impact from diffuse pollution is becoming more evident. We hope that we can work together to find sustainable solutions that will deliver change and have a positive impact on the future coasts.
Mark Casey, Head Research, Design and Innovation, UK Hydrographic Office, said that they were proud to take on this challenge with Geovation. Diffuse coastal pollution is a major problem for marine ecosystems. It is crucial that we find long-term and sustainable solutions. Collaboration and partnerships are one of the best ways for real change to be found and to come up with innovative solutions to problems in the marine environment. We are proud to support participants using our world-leading marine data set and expertise.
Visit: https://geovation.uk/diffuse-coastal-pollution-challenge/
