Promoting Coral Sustainability Through Citizen Science

Using the power of the crowd to integrate monitoring of coral health into regular economic activities

Coral reefs provide coastal communities with shoreline protection, food, and tourism. These benefits have been estimated to produce economic value of between US$30 billion (WMO-No. 1063) and US$375 billion (US NOAA, 15 Nov 2010) annually. Coral reefs also directly support the most biodiverse coastal ecosystems on the planet. However, the health and continued existence of coral reefs worldwide is under serious threat due to the effects of climate change, destructive fishing, reckless tourism practices, and pollution.

Our solution is to empower coastal communities with the means of monitoring coral health using a novel underwater camera mounting system for small watercraft. The mounting system is attachable to a range of small watercraft regularly used in fishing and tourism around coral reefs such as boats, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and canoes. A unique feature of the system’s design is that it can be detached and reattached without any permanent or special alterations to the watercraft. It therefore becomes a low-cost option to add stable, underwater photography to any small watercraft.

Once distributed to coastal stakeholders such as tour operators, fishers, and aquaculture farmers, this product facilitates the passive collection of valuable biological data. It also acts as a direct supplement to the income of tour operators when it is rented to customers, who during activities such as kayaking tours receive memorable images of the coral reefs they have visited. By increasing the visibility of coral reefs, this product can enhance people’s appreciation of these environments and be marketable as an eco-tourism asset, as it has no negative impact on the reef environment. A principal problem highlighted by marine conservation agencies is that underwater ecosystems are “out of sight, out of mind”. Our product increases visibility of a vulnerable ecosystem that much of the public are unwilling to enter directly through snorkeling or SCUBA diving. This system represents less risk of direct contact with the reef which can be damaging to the ecosystem as well as the individual.

This system has been designed with the aid of experienced coral ecologists in order to ensure that the image quality meets modern survey standards. Therefore, all photography of coral taken using this system will be suitable for addition to a public, international scientific database of coral reefs. This database can process submitted photos using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to identify coral species and health. Thus, all users of this system also have an additional incentive: they can have their photos automatically analysed to help them identify and learn more about the coral they have photographed. Plus, they also get the unique opportunity to contribute to a worldwide scientific effort to help monitor coral health.

The combination of these direct benefits to a wide range of watercraft users around coral reefs will help to promote environmental awareness and sustainability. Increased public understanding and involvement with coral science as well as the potential to collect large amounts of data from remote and understudied environments will be vital to combat global trends in coral ecosystem collapse.

Our solution utilizes a low-cost, novel camera mounting system to capture steady underwater photographs from the underside of small watercraft. These photographs can then be uploaded onto a public, international scientific database for analysis (using artificial intelligence and machine learning) which is accessible by members of the public. People who collect photos can analyze them along with any other images on the database with limited scientific experience or expertise thanks to the digital annotation tools provided.

The international standard for the collection of coral ecology data is currently the use of highly trained SCUBA divers making direct observations or using expensive and cumbersome underwater cameras. Our system replaces the highly trained individual with technology that requires no more in-depth experience than the ability to maneuver a kayak or other small vessel.  Passive gyroscopes and GPS components ensure that the data collected are of as high quality as any collected by an individual with years of training and expensive SCUBA equipment. 

Our primary goal over the next 12 months is to run 20 medium-term (six month) pilots with schools, tourism and fishing operators, and farmers in Okinawa, Japan. During these pilots, pilot partners will be provided a camera mounting system, waterproof camera, and operational training free-of-charge for the duration of the pilot. Our secondary goal over the next 12 months is to run five international pilots of the same duration. In collaboration with researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology we will investigate local coral conservation issues using this system and therefore legitimize its use in primary scientific investigation.

Within three years we want every major marine tourism operator in Okinawa in possession of this system and offering it as an option to tourists. Through primary scientific research using the device, this system will be established as a source of data collection in ongoing coral monitoring research. Within five years we would like to see this system being utilized in other coastal communities in South-East Asia, particularly those with a heavy reliance on international tourism. The spread of this product within the international tourism industry and scientific publications will encourage other researchers and coastal stakeholders to adopt this system.

Our initial contact is to individually approach prospective pilot partners. If they agree to a pilot, a team member is assigned to be their trainer and support person. This team member also performs regular evaluations and check-ups throughout the pilot period and conducts an in-depth interview with the pilot partner at the pilot’s conclusion. If the partner wants to continuing using the system, we will enter into a negotiation to sell or donate the product to them.

We will use data and testimonies from the pilot programs to advertise and raise awareness of our product with similar organisations and businesses.

A group of seven researchers from disciplines spanning marine ecology to physics are working with the product in order to test its capacity as a tool for outreach and education.

In 12 months we expect to be serving 25 organisations or businesses operating in Okinawa, Japan based on our pilot program. We expect an average of 50 students per school, 100 tourists or hobbyists per tourist operator or watercraft club, and 5 employees per fishing or farming business to have operated or been involved in the operation of the device. In three years we expect to have sold our product to 200 organisations or businesses and 500 individuals in the Asia-Pacific region.

Our team is made up of working scientists with experience and expertise in marine ecology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, biology, engineering and design, physics, and science communication and outreach. This collection of skills, and our location at a world-leading research university in the area of coral ecology, makes it possible for us to attract and bring to bear scientific, engineering, educational, and communication resources vital to the success of this project. By also being located on a sub-tropical island famous for tourism and water activities, we are also perfectly positioned to engage with our potential customers and users.

As detailed in previous sections, we will initially offer free six-month pilots with selected local partners. At the end of these pilot periods, these partners will be offered the opportunity to purchase the product. Selling the product to these partners will not generate a large amount of revenue, however these pilots will provide us with a valuable opportunity to collect market data and validate our product before releasing it to the public.

Based on our experience and lessons learned with our pilot partners, we will produce a series of short videos to advertise the product, demonstrate its use and benefits, and describe how its data can be uploaded to the international scientific database for analysis. We then intend to either license the product to an established manufacturer or begin scaling up our own manufacturing. If we choose this latter option, we intend to also sell our product directly to consumers online. Our primary means of marketing the product will be via distributing samples to influencers such as leading marine ecology scientists and large tourism operators.

MIT Solve offers a unique opportunity for our team to connect with likeminded individuals and teams working on solving the challenges associated with climate change in coastal communities. It also provides us with a platform to spread awareness about the importance of coral ecosystems and how our solution can empower individuals and communities to better monitor and protect these ecosystems. Should our application be successful, we hope that the opportunities afforded to us via Solve will also help enhance and refine our project plans to maximize its future success.

Coral reefs are being permanently damaged at an alarming and unprecedented pace. The quicker we put our solution into action, the better. For this reason, we believe that in the medium-term a Solve Finalist grant would help us greatly accelerate and scale our pilot phase and initial production. In the longer-term, connecting with the Solve network and attending Solve events would also help us establish connections and receive expert and peer advice to ensure we build a sustainable business model into the future.