Coastbuster
Beach keepers and coastal safety officers need your help!
You can help keep our West Coast clean and safe by reporting marine debris via Coastbuster for Android.
Use this app to report large, unusual and potentially hazardous marine debris–especially items that may have been swept into the sea by Japan’s devastating March 2011 tsunami.
Simply photograph the debris you find, enter some descriptions, and upload to Ocean Networks Canada. We will forward your reports to authorities. We’ll also upload your photos to Flickr, where you can browse, share and comment on the full collection of marine debris snapshots.
The information and photos you share may also help scientists better understand how winds and currents carry marine debris across the oceans.
Where Your Reports Go
The photos and information you provide are sent to Ocean Networks Canada staff members who review them and post them to the Coastbuster photostream on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastbuster/). Debris that are unusual, potentially hazardous or possibly linked to Japan's tsunami are also reported to NOAA's Marine Debris Program and the BC Ministry of Environment.
Your Contributions Remain Anonymous
Location Services on your handheld device must be turned on for Coastbuster in your settings before you take a photo. The GPS position is required so that all photos have a geo-location attached to them. The uploaded data contains no personal information from your device. All data we store are completely anonymous.
How to Get Coastbuster
Coastbuster is available for Android. You can download it from Google Play.
Coastbuster is also available for iPhone. You can download it from the Apple App Store
Shore Clean-up
Help protect our coast by joining a clean-up! Participate in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and Surfriders. If you are on Vancouver Island, check out Surfrider Vancouver Island.
More Info
Coastbuster Info Flyer
Joint Tsunami Marine Debris Joint Information Center
What to do if you find tsunami debris
Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Science Response to Tsunami Debris
Confirmed Sightings of Japanese Tsunami Debris
How to Identify Japanese Gas Cylinder Contents
FAQs About Tsunami Debris
How to Identify Japanese Vessels and Owners
Tsunami Debris in the News
Fifth Estate: Second Wave - documentary about debris from Japan's great tsunami
CNN segments on Tsunami Debris
Terms of Use
Welcome to the Coastbuster Application, conceived and developed by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and Simon Fraser University’s Spatial Interface Research Lab (SFU/SIRL) for the purpose of helping scientists inventory debris landing on beaches. Please read the following Terms of Use before using this application.
In agreeing with the Terms of use, users must abide and comply with the following policies and notices provided in the disclaimer.
Submitted Content
Any material submitted to the Coastbuster Application will become property of ONC. ONC and SFU/SIRL reserve the right to use photos, descriptions and comments or any content that is submitted by users to the Coastbuster Application.
Any photos, comments or any content submitted by users must not contain, depict or represent information that is obscene, inappropriate, prejudiced or that is deemed irrelevant for the purpose of the Coastbuster Application. ONC reserves the right to screen, delete and remove any content that is considered to be unsuitable or inappropriate.
Users must not submit photos, comments or any content that is under another trademark, copyright or that is the property of any other third party, business or organization.
ONC and SFU/SIRL pledge to only use data for legal uses, and for purposes that are within the scope of the organizations’ goals and policies. Photos, comments and any content submitted by users will be used for statistical purposes and to help scientists, researchers and any interested parties inventory and document debris landing on beaches.
The Coastbuster Application is subject to change. Under no circumstance will ONC or SFU/SIRL be responsible for the loss, deletion or modification of photos, comments or any content submitted to the Coastbuster Application by its users.
Any photos, comments or content submitted by users will be made viewable and searchable on a specific web site whose address will be communicated through the application. ONC will not take responsibility for any loss, deletion or modification of photos, comments or any content as a result of changes to that website.
Privacy
Under no circumstance will ONC or SFU/SIRL ask for any information related to a user’s personal identity. The application will not require a username or password. Photos, comments and any content submitted by users will be sent anonymously to a Flickr account held by ONC. Submitted content will not include any information about the original submitting party, such as IP address or user name, other than those belonging to ONC.
Any information submitted by a user, including information contained or depicted in photos, comments or any other content, will only be submitted at the user's discretion.
Data Collection and Goals
The Coastbuster Application is intended to provide a general inventory and documentation of debris landing on beaches. Photos, comments or any content that is submitted by users is not expected or guaranteed to be error free. Data collected by the Coastbuster Application is subject to, and may contain, erroneous or misidentified information.
ONC and SFU/SIRL will not take responsibility for, and will not endorse the legitimacy of data collected by any of the Coastbuster Application users.
ONC and SFU/SIRL will not ensure or anticipate that data collected by this application will reach any factual, identifiable or meaningful scientific and/or research goals.
ONC and SFU/SIRL appreciate your support and participation in the inventory of landed debris.
