Hydronautics

https://bit.ly/3BakmNA

https://github.com/Zeraphim/MAMA-NASASpaceApps2021

MAMA (Monitoring and Assessing Marine Debris Application) uses Mapbox API to display heatmaps in ocean bodies with high concentrations of marine debris. The data is extracted from satellite images which is then used by the application to provide heatmaps in their corresponding coordinates in bodies of water. To better understand the magnitude of the problem that the application aims to solve, the application also shows relevant statistics and facts regarding marine debris in a certain area which came from trusted and reliable sources. Lastly, the project also allows its user to take part in reducing marine debris by its donation and volunteer features.

MAMA (Monitoring and Assessing Marine Debris Application) displays heatmaps in ocean bodies with high concentrations of marine debris using the Mapbox API. The data is collected from satellite pictures and utilized by the program to generate heatmaps in the corresponding coordinates of bodies of water. To help users comprehend the scope of the problem, the application displays important data and information about marine trash in a specific area sourced from reputable and reliable sources. Finally, the project's contribution and volunteer capabilities enable users to contribute to the reduction of marine trash.

MAMA can immensely help with the cleanup and rehabilitation of our ocean by monitoring and tracking marine trash, ensuring aquatic life and ecosystems. As the saying goes, “It’s an ocean out there,” with that in mind, because of our application, we can help narrow down the search areas and search parameters while trying to locate these ocean litters. The resources and workforce needed in searching blindly for marine debris will be significantly minimized, guaranteeing the cost reduction needed for these operations.

With our application, we hope to track marine debris or garbage patch by monitoring ocean currents. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the garbage patch is a vortex of plastic waste and debris broken down into particles in the water, referred to as a gyre, a massive system of swirling ocean currents. By monitoring and tracking marine debris, we can significantly aid in cleaning and rehabilitating our ocean, thereby guaranteeing marine life and ecosystem preservation.

The programming languages used in developing Monitoring and Assessing Marine Debris Application (M.A.M.A) are Python (3.9.5), JavaScript, and CSS. The developers used Flask (1.0.1) in making the backend o the application. To provide heatmaps of areas with high concentrations of marine debris, the developers used Mapbox API. For aesthetical purposes, the developers used Google Font API and FontAwesome.

One of the space agency data that we could use in our project is the article about the Garbage Patch Experiment. This article inspired us to create a model prototype that depicts the area where most of the garbage is being brought due to the ocean currents. It also contains data where drifting buoys were used to understand the behavior of ocean currents where the possibility of garbage patches is present. This data is then utilized to provide coordinates in the prototype of where garbage usually lies.

Our experience as a team was pretty rocky at the start, since the first step that we needed to take to move forward with our project was a very steep one. We were lucky though to have been provided with mentors who could give us some insights and a different approach to the problem we encountered for that first step to our project. As soon as we had processed the new insights, we got straight to work and smoothened the workflow.

The first roadblock that the team has encountered in developing the web application is the scarcity of data, particularly in marine debris. There is also a lack of technical know-how in analyzing data from satellite images which is required in the challenge. With the mentor's help, the team has managed to extract data from satellite images into something tangible that the application can use to provide heatmaps of high concentrations of marine debris in ocean bodies.

The most significant things that we learned as a team from this competition are time management, the ability to adapt to new skill sets, and working as a team. Also, there are truly important issues that we should take notice of and work together to find solutions for - like this problem with our environment, specifically with pollution in our oceans. We should all do our part in saving our planet.

Our team was inspired to choose Leveraging AI/ML for plastic marine debris because water pollution is a major problem in the Philippines, according to the Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA). Oceans surround the Philippines and it is recognized as the world’s center of marine biodiversity. With the rising popularity of using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in solving global problems, in line with the presence of water pollution, we gained interest in challenging ourselves to do this challenge. 

The team managed to accomplish the project by splitting the workloads amongst its members. Since the team is composed of 6 members, Three members were assigned to the technicalities of the web application while the remaining three members were tasked to make the documentation of the project and give suggestions and feedback regarding the user experience while using the web application.

There are a lot of challenges and setbacks that we have encountered during this hackathon but thanks to our local mentors, they were able to provide constructive criticisms and share their knowledge and expertise in guiding us on where exactly we will be in. We would like to thank the following mentors; Michael Lance, Albert Yumol, Jayson Felix, Jude Michael Teves, Bom Villatuya, JM Dumdum, H Barrameda, and Maeve for giving us their time to help us in progressing in Space Apps.

Tools:

Github

Heroku

Python 3.9

Flask

Mapbox

HTML

CSS

PHP

Javascript

Canva

Data:

https://sos.noaa.gov/catalog/datasets/marine-debris-garbage-patch-experiment-drifters-and-model/

Other Resources:

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/marinedebris.html

https://www.sryahwapublications.com/annals-of-geographical-studies/pdf/v1-i1/8.pdf

https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/marine-plastics

#Hydronautics, #MAMA, #MarineDebrisFree, #Water, #Poseidon, #CleanerOcean, #Mapbox, #Python, #Flask, #WebApplication #Clean #marineLife #ocean #sea #debris

This project has been submitted for consideration during the Judging process.