This collaboration falls under the framework agreement signed between both entities.
The rector of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Llorenç Huguet, and the president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB), Joan Gual de Torrella, have signed an agreement to study the impact of cruise ship tourism in Palma through the installation of a network of pollution and noise sensors. This collaboration falls within the framework agreement in place between the two institutions for several years and will be carried out through the University-Business Foundation of the Balearic Islands.
According to the agreement signed today, the University will provide technical support for the installation of a network of pollution and noise measuring devices; and will analyze the data generated by the network on the activities carried out in the ports of general interest of the Balearic Islands through a research team made up of Doctors Bartolomé Alorda, member of the Electronic Systems group of the Department of Physics; Víctor Homar, member of the Meteorology group of the Department of Physics; and Mauricio Ruiz, director of the Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Service.
This team, together with the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), will prepare the preliminary technical report that will design the installation of a network of sensors suitable for the ports of Palma, Alcúdia, Ibiza, La Savina, and Maó. They will also assist in the evaluation process of bids submitted by companies installing this sensor network in the port of Palma and, once the infrastructure is installed, will analyze the data obtained from this port. The objective is to correlate pollutant levels and noise pollution with the activity generated in the port and at the transition zone with the city. An evaluation of the results has been scheduled for a period of 12 months from the validation of the sensor network installation.
The president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, has highlighted that, although Palma has been receiving cruise tourists for more than thirty years, "we are currently experiencing a moment of success" and, therefore, it is important to detect any potential problems that may arise in order to correct them as soon as possible, in line with protecting and improving the environment and "the perception of the cruise industry, a sector that distributes wealth in our society.".
For his part, the rector of the UIB, Llorenç Huguet, thanked the Port Authority for its collaboration “in a multidisciplinary research project to once again demonstrate the importance and economic impact of this type of activity, without neglecting the environmental impact, and, through knowledge, to be able to reduce its less favorable effects.”.
