Field campaign 1 – Field Sampling for Coastal Litter Mapping

Coastal litter pollution remains one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges, affecting both marine ecosystems and coastal communities. To address this issue, drones and AI technologies offer powerful new tools for monitoring and mitigation. Within this context, the ACCELERATE project plays a vital role in advancing our ability to detect, understand, and manage coastal litter through cutting-edge technology and collaborative research.As part of ACCELERATE, Use Case 1, our team successfully carried out a field sampling and UAV data collection campaign at Batis Beach, Glyfada (Greece) on 22 October 2025. Using UAVs equipped with RGB, thermal, and multispectral sensors, we collected high-resolution imagery to support the development of innovative methods for mapping and assessing coastal litter. The activity was conducted in close collaboration between members of HUA team , members of INNOVACTS team and members of GeoSense team , with valuable support from the Municipality of Palaio Faliro . A big thank you to all participants for their teamwork and dedication to advancing environmental monitoring and sustainable coastal management.