AI to detect jellyfish and algae

Malaga Provincial Council is investigating the use of artificial intelligence to inform beachgoers in Andalucia about the presence of jellyfish and invasive algae.

Under the name Oceanaria-Andalucía, the project will unite “science, sport and tourism” whose common thread is AI in what will be an app and website. The app aims to work on prevention to improve the quality of the environment of more than 800 beaches and almost 1,000 kilometres of the Andalucian coastline.

Once comprehensive data has been collected, AI algorithms will be developed to display information about the presence of these species and other marine phenomena: “This will allow us to work on prevention, knowing five days in advance if an invasion of some of these species is likely to occur”, said Francisco Franco Duro, director of the Chair of Coastal Sciences at the University of Malaga.

The website and application is expected to take just over a year to develop so, by the summer of 2025, it will no longer be necessary to travel miles and miles of coastline to surf, sunbathe or enjoy a day at the beach with the family in good conditions. This app will provide all the data in advance using AI.