OILWATCH project - detecting and monitoring oil spills
OILWATCH, a project funded by the European Community's Environment and Climate programme, was launched on 1 April 1997. The aim of the project, which will last for two years, is to research oil spill detection and monitoring in the EU's Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal areas. Using satellite imagery for four pilot areas, the project will assess the feasibility of developing an oil spill detection system that will act as both an early warning system and a management decision system for authorities concerned with marine and coastal protection. The occurrence of oil spills will be evaluated, the seriousness of the problem estimated, and the requirements of end users for timely information better understood following the project's completion. By developing a real-time oil spill detection workstation, spills can be tracked using satellite images and a database of spills information developed. Once the infrastructure is established, the project team will implement the pilot projects, distributing data to real end users and evaluating its usefulness. Following the completion of the pilot projects, the team will evaluate the results and formulate coherent information for distribution throughout Europe to those concerned with the future use of satellite data for environmental purposes.