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Blog Post
BlueReef Foundation uses data and AI to save coral reefs
A team from University of Michigan wins Round 1 of the Global Challenge with their solution to monitor and protect reefs more efficiently
"Coral reefs' extreme susceptibility to warming seas makes them one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change," according to the United Nations. In addition to rising sea temperatures, factors like invasive species and changes in water pH caused by sunscreens are also contributing to the decline of the world's coral reefs. Given that reefs are home to over a quarter of all marine life on the planet, their protection is critical to the survival of ocean biodiversity. But currently coral reef health data points are measured manually by divers, so tracking and predicting the health of reefs to know when and how to intervene can be costly and labor intensive. Researchers, non-profits, and governments often lack the technology and resources to effectively monitor and evaluate all of the complex factors that contribute to reef health, which can make it difficult to know where to focus attention to protect at-risk reefs.
BlueReef Foundation has put together a solution to address these issues. The two team members are studying at the University of Michigan. Industrial Engineering student Andres Ramirez, who has interned with EY, Accenture, and PWC, and Angelina Ilijevski, Junior Software Developer at Amazon and Computer Science major, both at Michigan's School of Engineering, combined their passion for ocean life with their engineering and technical skills to try to help save coral reefs. Their Call for Code Global Challenge Round 1 winning solution includes a sensor that can be placed safely within the reef to capture data on reef conditions without requiring as much human intervention as traditional measurement methods. Through their research into what factors impact coral health, they developed a new single coral reef index value that is based on measurements of water pH and temperature, as well as aragonite measurements, at the site of the reef. This single index value provides interested parties with a simpler way to understand reef health trends over time compared to looking at multiple, individual data points. The team also built machine learning models to predict future values of the factors that feed into this index, so researchers can forecast where reef health is headed as well. All of the data is presented to users through a clear web-based dashboard.
The solution uses IBM Watson Studio for the machine learning models to understand what a reef is lacking and to make predictions, IBM Cloud Object Storage to store and deploy the BlueReef Dashboard and its corresponding resources, and IBM API Connect to securely manage APIs used in the solution. The team was able to learn to work with these IBM solutions quickly. "The documentation was very thorough. It wasn't difficult to onboard with the technology," said Angelina. By providing researchers with tools to better understand current reef status and predict future reef health, the BlueReef solution can help experts focus resources and efforts on the most at-risk coral locations and address reef issues more strategically. The team also hopes their solution can draw attention to the struggling coral reefs, which can help shape policy and public behavior to further help protect the reefs.
Later this year the team plans to continue their research on additional variables that can impact reef health and adjust their index if necessary. They are also planning to manufacture a working prototype of an artificial reef with their technology integrated so they can test and refine their modeling and software and start putting their system to use recording the health of live reefs in more locations around the world. As they talk to researchers about their solution, the team is also discovering new potential applications for the technology, such as monitoring locations to find optimal places for future reef replanting efforts.
There are 3 more rounds in this year's Global Challenge! Register now to access free AI and other tech training and developer resources and submit your project for a chance to win prizes from a pool of up to $1.4 million USD!