Artificial intelligence against the pollution of rivers and seas, the case of the United Kingdom

A series of sensors will collect data to anticipate pollution episodes and protect the environment and local communities.

• The project concerns the UNESCO heritage reserve of North Devon, England, and in particular the Umber River.
• According to the company that launched the project, there is a 91.5 percent probability of predicting a polluting event.
• The objective is to develop the artificial intelligence project in the area and then extend it to other areas.

In the county of Devon, In the United Kingdom, a project is on the launch pad artificial intelligence to prevent pollution of rivers and the sea.The objective is to protect the environment to also have positive impacts on local communities, offering cleaner water for bathing.The focus of the project will be the river in particular Umber, which receives waste from some industries and agricultural businesses.Artificial intelligence will allow these emissions to be stopped before they happen.

Prevent pollution

The project concerns the reserve UNESCO heritage of North Devon, England.A number of have been installed in the River Umber black boxes with solar panels.From here parameters are detected on the water quality, then transmitted to the control room.In particular, the quantity of ammonia, how cloudy the water is, the level of acidity. 

There are one sensors in total fifty.Your data is cross-referenced with the expertise provided by the mapping company Ordnance Survey, which provides satellite information and historical statistics relating to the area. Cgi, an IT consultancy company, will process all this data and the result is a project artificial intelligence which will try to predict polluting events.

“After the success of the first phase of the project, which led to the creation of a satellite and artificial intelligence tool capable of predicting pollution events with an accuracy of up to 91.5 percent, we are excited to launch this second phase, which provides an innovative and proactive approach to environmental management and nature protection,” he explained Mattie Yeta, Chief Sustainability Officer of CGI.

The possible implications

Among the practical implications of the project, there is for example the possibility of warning a farmer to stop releasing fertilizer on his field, if the ground is dry and heavy rains are forecast which would send him into waterways.

The focus is above all on the Umber River, which is important economic and social important in the area.The river flows into the sea in the village of Combe Martin, a seaside resort where there are several hotels, restaurants and beaches that also attract tourists.Water pollution and possible non-bathing potential would risk bringing the island to its knees.local economy.Hence the great trust placed by local communities in the new artificial intelligence project.

Cig plans to expand the project to other areas in the future, a model of pollution predictive technology which could constitute an important turning point in environmental protection.