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INCOIS Deploys Integrated Marine Litter Tracking Framework
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, announces the deployment of an integrated framework to identify, track, and forecast marine litter accumulation hotspots. The framework is launched during the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar 5.0 campaign under the National Initiative for Remediation of Marine Litter (NIRMaL Sagar), with a pilot implemented off the coast of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
NIRMaL Sagar:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Implementing agency | The framework is spearheaded by INCOIS under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). |
| First-of-its-kind status | It is India’s first integrated marine litter tracking framework. |
| Pilot phase partners | The pilot is executed in collaboration with Andhra University and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA). |
| Technology stack | The tracking framework combines ocean modelling, satellite remote sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). |
| Functional output | These tools are used to identify, monitor, and forecast marine plastic litter hotspots. |
| Source tracking approach | The programme maps the movement of plastics, tracks how waste enters the sea, and predicts where it will accumulate. |
| Entry pathways example | Waste entry pathways include open storm drains. |
| Circular economy linkage | The data gathered supports targeted clean-up operations and supports sustainable methods to remove and recycle marine plastic waste, re-introducing it into a circular economy. |
| Additional supporting stakeholders | The pilot draws support from the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and local fishing communities. |
| INCOIS establishment | INCOIS is established in 1999. |
| INCOIS status and headquarters | INCOIS is an autonomous body operating under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana. |
| INCOIS mandate | INCOIS provides ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through continuous ocean observations and processing of satellite and in-situ data. |
| Core flagship services | Core flagship services comprise Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) Advisories, Ocean State Forecasting (OSF), Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems. |
| PFZ Advisories | PFZ Advisories generate real-time, satellite-derived fishing maps using Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Chlorophyll data to guide coastal fishermen. |
| Ocean State Forecasting (OSF) | OSF predicts wave height, swell surges, surface currents, and sea surface temperature for maritime operations. |
| ITEWC role | ITEWC serves as the national Tsunami Warning Centre and a regional Tsunami Service Provider (TSP) for Indian Ocean rim nations. |
| Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems advisories | Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems deliver advisories on storm surges, high-wave alarms, coral bleaching, and harmful algal blooms (HABs). |