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AI-Powered Oil Spill Detection in Canadian Waters

Accountable

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Functional Modes

Sensing (Perceptive AI)

Human decides

Purpose

Ecology

Input Dataset

About a measurement Anonymized data

Algorithm or Model

Computer Vision

Output Dataset

A recommendation or prediction Anonymized data

Details

This system uses satellite radar imagery and machine learning to automatically detect oil pollution in Canadian waters. It is part of Canada's Integrated Satellite Tracking of Pollution (ISTOP) program, operated by the Canadian Ice Service in collaboration with Transport Canada. The system assists government employees in identifying and reporting oil spills — it does not directly affect members of the public, but its outputs influence environmental enforcement and marine safety decisions. It is currently in development and does not disclose its use of AI to those it monitors.