Plastic pollution is a global epidemic that remains significantly under-mapped and under-characterised. Various litter data collection apps are emerging, but most of them have terribly poor data quality and even fewer share data as open data which stagnates scientific progress on…

Plastic pollution is a global epidemic that remains significantly under-mapped and under-characterised. Various litter data collection apps are emerging, but most of them have terribly poor data quality and even fewer share data as open data which stagnates scientific progress on one of the most urgent environmental issues we have ever faced and makes volunteer effort largely redundant. By using our devices to share exceptionally high quality data as open data, we can allow anyone to participate in the research and advance knowledge on the state of plastic pollution; improve public services, laws and policies; reduce public expenditure; and ultimately begin the process of eradicating pollution. This practice, commonly referred to as Citizen Science, is new, disruptive, largely unexplored and remains significantly under-financed and under-supported. Litter mapping is an important & emerging sub-field of Citizen Science that has the potential to involve millions of people in the scientific process for the first time, and slingshot us from the cusp of a scientific revolution into a global environmental & geospatial renaissance.

During this talk you will learn about the future & history of OpenLitterMap, how to use it, and what open data means for society should people choose to embrace it.

OpenLitterMap also applies blockchain mining principles to the production of geographic information and open data for the first time, and reinvents what it means to produce money by rewarding people with Littercoin for doing the work.

Global Map:

https://openlittermap.com

Cork Map:

https://openlittermap.com/maps/Ireland/County%20Cork/Cork/map

Download all the data for Cork City as open data

https://openlittermap.com/maps/Ireland/County%20Cork/Cork/download

Download all the data for Ireland

https://openlittermap.com/maps/Ireland/download

Paper

https://opengeospatialdata.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40965-018-0050-y

Blog

https://www.publicsectordigest.com/article/embracing-open-data-plastic-pollution

More reading

https://medium.com/@littercoin