During the project period, KIVib-coast will establish and market an AI-supported drone measurement program for the high-resolution assessment of environmental conditions related to human-pathogenic Vibrio vulnificus (hpV) bacteria along the coasts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MV). This initiative is driven by the rising sea temperatures, which correlate with increased hpV infection rates on MV's coasts. Immunocompromised older individuals are particularly susceptible to hpV infections while swimming, often resulting in fatal outcomes. Public perception often labels hpV as "flesh-eating bacteria," negatively impacting the tourism industry in MV. Indeed, recent years have seen official warnings about Vibrio vulnificus on Baltic Sea beaches. However, these warnings are generally broad due to the lack of short-term detection methods for HPV.

Recent studies by the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) within the Ocean Technology Cluster have shown that hpV occurs sporadically and briefly in bathing water. Therefore, general warnings can be replaced by specific ones. The key finding of the IOW-led EU BaltVib project is that specific warnings are possible through a combined analysis of water temperature, salinity, and cyanobacterial blooms. KIVib-Küste will develop a locally applicable hpV assessment tool at Warnemünde. This begins with remote sensing measurements of the bathing water using drones, which determine the cyanobacterial bloom index, water temperature, and salinity. The data is autonomously transmitted to a cloud-based server, processed using AI, and a local hpV environmental index is derived. Users will have direct access to the assessment results within minutes of the drone flight. Since hpV is a global coastal problem, market analyses are being conducted to prepare the transfer for customer use.