AI for Water Security

The 2.4 million ha of freshwater bodies available for aquaculture (overall 7 million Ha of freshwater bodies) in India are facing various degree of risks and deterioration, data and monitoring gaps, where climate change further aggravate this situation. Causing 90% of fish production in India biologically unsustainable and highly vulnerable to climate risks leading to $2-3 Billion loss in fisheries, and associated health costs.

While working across different freshwater ecosystems in 7 landscapes over the last 3 years, engaging with 310 fish farmers including 50 women fish farmers, commercial fish farmers and grassroots communities, we observed that the fish farmers suffer huge losses at the tune of USD 16000/ha/year due to the fluctuating water-quality, resorting unsustainable practices to control pollution and to achieve high-growth.

The existing solutions, and practices available for the USD 45 billion fisheries market in India are ineffective to address these pain points and the economic situation of fish farmers gets further aggravated because of sub-optimal rates of fish production, often being pushed into debt-laden traps.

On the other hand, the water managers such as municipal corporations, restoration managers face a decision dilemma given the very high cost of real-time monitoring of water health, lack of water data and lack of waterscape level information to provide insights about deterioration and potential problems, which can prepare water manager towards better planning and in identifying the right solution.

AquaNurch, is a plug-and-play product-service hybrid solution for creating ‘World’s Biggest Real-time Water Data & Solution Factory’ of waterscapes. where each AquaNurch installation acts as a neural node for capturing the pulse of water-ecosystems on a real-time basis, combines it with AI-models and ensembled hydrological models, to capture the systemic interconnected ecological and anthropogenic disturbances on water landscapes, provides end-to-end solution to fish farmers, and maps the pulse of critical water ecosystems - marine, freshwater, on real time scale.

AquaNurch® AI-powered engine gathers and processes millions of data points on ecological stressors from farm/water bodies, fishes/biodiversity, hydrology system, climate variables and geospatial parameters using proprietary AI-models to assess current and forecast climate risks and variability enabling fish farmers and water system managers to take timely and effective measures to reduce vulnerability, catalyst resilience  and enhance sustainable production. AquaNurch not only detect climate and ecological risks, enhance adaptation of fish farmers due to climate variability; but also its Nature-based component reduces heavy metal and pollution ensuring healthy water ecosystem for healthy fisheries and sustaining biodiversity.

AquaNurch is first-of-its-kind high-frequency data repository for India with aim to scaleup to other geographies. Due to lack of robust data and real-time information modelled with ecological and climate variables targeting functional and practical use, it is very challenging to manage water resources, especially critical ecosystems such as wetlands, coral and marine, also lack of data and modelling is a hindrance for food production units – aqua farms to achieve optimum output.

AquaNurch will be tackling the pain-points of 16 million inland fishfarmers and 2.5 million hectares of water-bodies in India. 

As a hard-tech product AquaNurch® combines the power of ‘Nature-based+DeepTech’ for delivering end-to-end aquaculture solutions in emerging economies towards instituting climate resilient sustainable fisheries. Ensuring high revenue with ease to aqua farmers and healthy protein for all.

A combination of hardware and software which we co-designed with fish-farmers to ensure human-centered design core, our key focus is on inland freshwater fish-farmers who face the direct burnt of water-security impacts especially water-quality and climate-change further aggravates there problems. By using AquaNurch system the fish-farmers gain 3x-5x return on their investment with increased production, optimised operations, reduced input costs and de-risked fisheries. From fish seeds, nursery ponds, growing stage, disease monitoring, harvesting and market connect we offer end-to-end complete solution. The system intuitively combines the best science-backed practices for fish-production and complements their traditional knowledge and experience, leading to further integration. AquaNurch acts as a one-stop-shop for the inland freshwater fisheries value-chain.

Presently NatureDots offers “AquaNurch System”  to inland freshwater fish farmers in India with AI powered camera for disease detection and end-to-end solution to reduce mortality and achieve optimum growth. AquaNurch for water health is offered to our Indian, and global customers including water managers and restoration managers to help design, monitor and upscale the restoration and regenerative projects on water-scapes with built-in MRV.

The team-lead Snehal, have the first-hand experience of facing the brunt of deteriorating water quality, while she was working with 10 small-scale fish-farmers in Bhopal on an aqua-based community livelihood project she witnessed how the changing water quality due to pollution, coupled with climate change and lack of information lead to loss of the entire fish-stock worth 10K USD in just 2-3 hours, and how this cumulative impact pushes them further in poverty as a debt-trap.

Since 2017 December, While working across different freshwater ecosystems in 7 landscapes over the last 4 years, engaging with 1310 fish farmers including 150 women fish farmers, commercial fish-farmers and grassroots communities, we observed that the fish farmers suffer huge losses to the tune of USD 16000/ha/year due to the fluctuating water-quality, resorting unsustainable practices to control pollution and to achieve high-growth.

The changing water health impacts are not limited to aqua-livelihoods but also leads to loss in biodiversity. Aatish (co-founder) similarly had his first-hand experience of witnessing increasing health costs and mortality due to extremely bad water-quality in a lakes in his home town.

We both co-founders are trained engineer, managers with expertise in natural and climate sciences. I (Snehal) am a Computer Science engineer with MBA and Masters in Water Resources Management  from Duke University and Aatish is an Electronic Communications engineer with MBA and Masters in Environment Management from Yale University. We have domain and subject expertise on the water and climate challenge with a systemic view due to our diverse experience across the food-water-energy nexus.

AquaNurch water health monitoring system is being used by a government agencies in India and a government agency in the US, 2 non-profit and 1 restoration agency providing insights on 5000 ha of waterscape. 

In India we operate in two states with 1010 fish farmers (300 ha) and a govt department for 3 reservoirs managed by Municipal Corporations (3000 Ha) monitoring & restoration

In USA we are working in Washington State with State Parks and one local organization covering 2000 Ha, under real-time water health monitoring for climate resilient, salmon recovery and aquaculture 

We believe that High impact & High growth is possible keeping business, people and nature at core. MIT Solve's mission resonates with us and we believe this is the time to rethink our growth. Joining MIT's cohort would allow us to gain resources and guidance in our pursuit towards the global challenge of freshwater resources management.

Achieving a 'Hockey-stick' acceleration for solving hard problems - freshwater restoration and associated livelihoods, fusing profits and impact in tandem for creating a world which is promising for people and nature, requires an understanding of business and solutions delivery, with passion and vision to drive and address challenges, bringing innovation and new thinking the MIT’s ecosystem of innovation for impact will help bolster our innovation and offering while learning from industry leaders, create more strategic network of partnerships and collaborations. We aim to create a strategic network of partnerships and collaborations, attract the best talent from Water, DeepTech and BioTech sectors, and develop market for Nature-based led technology solutions.

Finally, to boost our growth MIT’s prodium will immensely help us in attracting Funding and investment with renewed visibility.

  Thus, incorporating shared learning and reinventing growth together, for people, for nature and for business

AquaNurch units acts as a Neural Node, capturing the pulse of water ecosystems from the depth and surface of water, combining it with the geospatial planetary spatial temporal data, processed using proprietary AI models of given case. The system acts as a Biophysical Chemical Ecological Big Data Factory on the natural system where it is deployed providing Resource Intelligence on localised, accurate, timely and simplified to fish farmers and to water managers, establishing new nature economy.

The AquaNurch Ensembled Model® developed by R&D team of AquaNurch® System delivers to de-risk water bodies, aquatic life, people and business from risks of quality, quantity, climate induced and ecological driven hazards. Our AI model integrates different climate scenarios, ecological complexities, and weather patterns to estimate and forecast water health at varied geographical scale.

In 2024, covering 25,000 Ha of freshwater bodies 

In the Next 5 years, covering 5 million hectares of freshwater bodies in India and the USA. 

Climate Action

Water ecosystem is highly susceptible to multiple ecological variables interact in a complex manner, which is beyond human capacity to deduce results on a real-time basis. Multi-model ensemble of RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 over 2020, 2030, and 2040 both indicated high to very-high climate variability with increasing precipitation over lesser number of days, more surface temp days, high intensity and high frequency of weather extremes. Combining climate variability along with ecological system variability fish farmers are highly vulnerable. From data AquaNurch team gathered indicates that 3 out of 5 fish farmers have suffered 100% loss of production atleast once in last three years. AquaNurch device is creating first-of-its-kind data repository from farm level to large water ecosystem level – lakes and rivers, is a hub of water ecosystem data, ecological and aquatic life data. Collected data is real-time processed through AquaNurch engine® AI-powered which handles complexities of big data, combines with climate variables and other key parameters to identify climate risks. Information shared over mobile app enables fish farmers and water managers to take corrective measures.

Zero Hunger

AquaNurch is first-of-its-kind high-frequency data repository for India with aim to scaleup to other geographies. Due to the lack of robust data and real-time information modelled with ecological and climate variables targeting functional and practical use, it is very challenging to manage water resources, especially critical ecosystems such as wetlands, coral and marine, also lack of data and modelling is a hindrance for food production units – aqua farms to achieve optimum output. AquaNurch ensures healthy water for healthy fish for ensuring food and protein security among underserved and marginalised communities.

Life Below Water

The changing climate, competitive resource users and increased pollutant load not only endanger economies and food-systems but also threatens the entire ecosystem and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystem. At systemic level the health and resilience of these freshwater-resources are foundation for a robust national economy, nutritional security for the growing population. AquaNurch data base provides exhaustive biodiversity details apart from water health which is an impact indicator and enable water managers to understand overall health of the waterscapes.

Healthy Water and water scapes results in healthy people, healthy fish production and healthy ecosystems, enabling and speeding the fight against climate change and de-risk all. 

We will be tracking and measuring following to observe the impact

1. Increase in fish production per acreage
2. Improvement in quality of fish
3. Amount of water saved
4. Improvement in water quality
5. Reduction in fish mortality due to ecological stressors ###li#< Reduction in input cost for pond management and fish production
6. Number of data points collected per Ha on ecological parameter
7. Increase in adoption-rate of technology amongst Fish Farmers, (including women)
8. Increase in income of Fish Farmers (including women)
9. Reduction in time-spent by a fish farmer in the pond management
10. Number of New Aquapreneurs created - especially women and youth
11. Reduction in tCO2 emission

Core technologies are AI/ML, IoT, IoB, Modeling, Mobile and Web Interface, real-time data pipelines with AI-integrated models, Image processing and spatial temporal near to real timeline automated and AI-powered analysis. 

Main idea behind NatureDots is to integrate the natural systems (ecological science lens) with the main-stream water resource management in an inclusive systemic solution.  The aim is to move away from a siloed approach to a more holistic approach where the vast complexities of natural systems dynamics are tackled by the use of technology. NatureDots combined the power of DeepTech tools such as AI, ML, AI-IoT etc., to fill in the gaps on data, information and computation of water-dynamics and overlayed it with the natural climate solutions and nature-based sciences to create a real-time health visualizer and balancer for water-bodies in form of innovation ‘AquaNurch’.

At NatureDots we are committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, LGBTQ, nationality, and individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and differently-abled persons. At NatureDots we ensure that every voice is being heard and deliberated, open to a viewpoint and ensure that we address any bias in hiring or in working. We successfully achieved diversity and inclusiveness, further, we  incorporate behavioural and structural approach for team association & participation.

AquaNurch, is a B2B and B2G location agnostic product-service hybrid: Where B2B -  targeted customer, including fish-farmers, fish-farmer producer organizations/cooperatives with open- pond size min.1ha and closed-system min. 60,000 litres capacity (hatcheries, nursery, and grow- out systems), focussing commercial aquaculture. To our Fish Farmers, we provide end-to-end solution via our mobile application under monthly subscription, and sell device on upfront basis, other services such as fish disease identification, fish growth projections, market insights are on fee basis. Our objective is to de-risk entire fish-stocks and water system from ecological stressors, minimizing incidences of disease spread amongst fish by near real-time fish data collection and growth prediction comparison, improve production by 30 percent maximum acreage per ha, reduce feed input by 15-20 percent, and connects different value-chain actors by bridging the information gap. Our customer is achieving reduced mortality from 50 percent to now only under 10 percent, and output of 10-12 ton per hectare.

For B2G segment, municipal corporations, water commissions and pollution control board, non-profits for waterscape monitoring, nature-based & solution for restoration. With our interventions, Municipal corporations are able to identify exact location to focus and divert their limited resources to tackle water pollution at source, which further reduces water filtration and cleaning cost by 65 percent, were daily pump rate is 1000 million litres for drinking. To enable healthy water our AI engine enables water security, in India.

For B2G another application, AquaNurch is assisting water restoration researchers and city managers to protect, conserve and rejuvenate waterscape of 2000 Ha, with combining ecological science and AI we are delivering localised solution to identify taxi algae, day to day health assessment and devising water ecosystem resilient solutions in the state of Washington USA.

NatureDots is adopting integrated approach mix of project financing, customer revenue and investment, to enable working capital, cash in hand and growth capital. We have raised non-dilutive capital of $300,000 which has enabled us to successfully delivered solution and initiated revenue generation. 

We have well detailed plan to address all three aspect of: Project Financing and Grant for product development and pilots/implementation/diversification, Revenue for operations, and Seed Capital for growth. In 3 year’s time we will be capturing our beachhead market generating $10 million revenue from 3rd year.

Till date we have raised non-dilutive capital from awards and grants. Since, 2022 we started making revenue which in 18 months would enable us to accommodate our field operations.