GeoPlasticoBR is a scientific, collaborative platform that maps and visualizes microplastic data across Brazilian aquatic ecosystems. It provides an interactive map, statistics, and data contribution features for researchers and environmental managers.

About GeoPlasticoBR

GeoPlasticoBR is a collaborative scientific platform for mapping and visualizing microplastic data within Brazil’s aquatic ecosystems. Developed by an interdisciplinary team including Pedro Augusto Pires Brandão and Pedro Akira Santos Matoba, it serves researchers, environmental managers, and policymakers needing aggregated, spatially explicit data on microplastic distribution.

The platform aggregates georeferenced microplastic samples from across Brazil, displaying them on an interactive map. It currently covers 14 distinct ecosystems and reports microplastic concentrations using 8 different units of measure, with 1,594 data points mapped to date. GeoPlasticoBR aims to centralize dispersed research into open spatial knowledge, supporting scientific inquiry, environmental management, and public policy development.

Key Features of GeoPlasticoBR

• Interactive Map: Visualizes 1,594 georeferenced microplastic samples across Brazil’s aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including beaches, rivers, estuaries, and mangroves.
• On-Demand Statistics: Generates histograms, boxplots, and time series for selected data, allowing researchers to explore trends and distributions.
• Data Contribution: Supports manual and batch spreadsheet uploads for researchers to contribute new microplastic data to the platform.
• Diverse Data Types: Includes both abiotic and biotic sample data, covering matrices such as water, sediment, and soil.
• Flexible Units of Measure: Reports data in 8 units, including part/cm², part/kg, part/L, part/m², part/m³, and part/mL.
• Data Download: Enables users to download selected data as CSV files and generated visualizations as PNG images for further analysis or reporting.

  

Development and Validation

GeoPlasticoBR was conceptualized and developed by Pedro Augusto Pires Brandão (Idealizer and researcher), Pedro Akira Santos Matoba (Developer and Idealizer), and collaborators Weslley Soares de Sousa and Guilherme J. The project’s mission emphasizes centralizing and democratizing access to microplastic data in Brazil, transforming scattered research into open spatial knowledge. While the platform hosts data from 47 distinct studies and 627 approved samples, the website does not provide direct links to peer-reviewed publications describing its development or formal validation studies.

Access and Data Availability

GeoPlasticoBR is a free, web-based platform accessible directly through its official website. Users can explore the interactive map, generate statistical visualizations, and download data (CSV) or images (PNG) without registration. The platform also offers functionality for researchers to contribute their own microplastic data, either manually or via batch spreadsheet uploads.

Community and Support

The platform encourages community engagement through its data contribution feature, allowing researchers to enrich the database with new findings. A ‘Partnerships’ section indicates an intent for academic cooperation, though it is noted as under evaluation. Direct support channels beyond data contribution guidelines are not explicitly detailed on the website.

Why This Resource Belongs on Plastiverse

GeoPlasticoBR provides a critical regional dataset and visualization tool for microplastic pollution, focusing specifically on Brazilian aquatic environments. It directly supports environmental monitoring, policy development, and research into microplastic distribution by aggregating and making accessible georeferenced sample data. Its collaborative data submission model aligns with the open science principles of Plastiver.