By Tess Malijenovsky
Dylan Murphy of Beaufort, a past Beaufort High School student currently pursuing a Masters in Environmental Studies at the College of Charleston, created a “Clean Marine” application for the Android for his senior thesis project. The application allows boaters at sea to take a picture and report the GPS coordinates of debris in the water to proper authorities, such as the Ocean Coastal Resource Management (OCRM).
Murphy participated in a Clean Marine partnership program with the OCRM and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, in which they asked volunteers to take pictures and hand write coordinate data. Seeing the need for a digital presence in the data collection process, Murphy was inspired to combine a hobby of his and his love for the water into his senior project.
Murphy took a few computer courses in high school and college, but for the most part taught himself Google’s Android operating system.
Dylan Murphy grew up on St. Helena Island where his deep respect for clean water is rooted: “I grew up camping, kayaking, boarding and tubing, that sort of thing. And the only other place I’ve ever lived is here in Charleston, so I’ve pretty much always been beside the water.”
If you are also often out on the water, downloading Dylan Murphy’s Clean Marine application from www.market.android.com.