Rugu·Map

Photograph the invasive Asian seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae, a brown algae whose fragments float to our beaches where they accumulate, causing significant environmental problems. Its presence affects recreational use of beaches and vital economic sectors like fishing: this invasive algae clings to fishermen's nets, tearing them and reducing catches.

With Rugu·Map, you can record where and when you see it, contributing to a citizen science map that will help scientists predict its arrival, both floating in the water and accumulating on the shore.

Your photo is science. In just a few seconds with your mobile phone, you become a Rugu Mapper.

IT'S THAT EASY: 4 STEPS
1. Open it — download and open Rugu·Map on your mobile phone.

2. Sand or water? — tell us in what environment you saw the algae.

3. Which photo does it resemble? — estimate the coverage with visual examples.

4. Take the photo on site and send it — the GPS records the location.

Rugu·Map is the mobile application of the RoGEO project "Geospatial Tools for Monitoring the Washouts of the Invasive Alga Rugulopteryx okamurae on the Andalusian Coast: Mitigating its Impact on Fishing and Global Warming," developed at the Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

This project is being carried out in collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Program, and is co-financed by the European Union through the EMFF (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund).

Download it for free, and join citizen science!