People going to the beach at Par in Cornwall and Combe Martin in Devon are being asked to talk to their beaches via AI.
QR signage at both beaches will prompt a text conversation with the Hello Lamp Post artificial intelligence platform. The beach will share the latest news from Environment Agency monitoring about bathing water quality. But the agency hopes this will be more than a one-way conversation, with beach lovers sharing their own information about the site.
Beach visitors will be asked about any live events happening at the site, like how many people can they see in the water or dogs on the beach? How clear does the water look? Are there any signs of pollution?
Hannah Amor of the Environment Agency’s citizen science team said: “We have used Hello Lamp Post technology before to raise awareness of flood risk at some sites. But this time we are focusing on bathing water.
“Once you scan the QR code and begin working through the conversation prompts you will be able to tell us, via the AI platform, about any issues you can see or questions you have. This intelligence will help us identify problems and take appropriate action.”
The trial will run for 12 weeks.
Barbara Martin of Combe Martin Water Watch said: “We are happy that the Environment Agency is still taking a keen interest in the water quality of our amazing beach.
“We are proud of the ‘Good’ water quality rating for Combe Martin and the lamp post scheme will help residents and visitors be better informed and empowered to report any concerns directly and instantly.”
Jenny Tagney of Friends of Par Beach, which is involved with several water quality monitoring projects, said: “We are really pleased to be supporting the Environment Agency in its efforts to understand the major influences affecting bathing water quality of Par Beach.”
The Environment Agency’s annual season of taking regular samples from England’s 451 bathing waters ended on 30 September. Launching the Hello Lamp Post trial at Par and Combe Martin will help keep the intelligence flowing out-of-season and contribute to a fuller picture of the sites through citizen science.
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