About This Project

A lack of standardization in ecological survey protocols for occupational and community field scientists is a global barrier to the size and quality of data sets front line researchers, conservationists, and policy makers need for impactful marine solutions. Our project will build on emerging technology in ROV/DPV photogrammetry surveys, machine learning, & the use of AI in underwater surveys, to develop open source ROV and DPV hardware specifications and data collection protocols.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

This project is a critical step towards site specific open science biological data hosted on Aqualink.org. This data includes indicator species, coral cover, and bleaching monitoring to advance science & ocean conservation. Traditional research diving is very challenging. In order to not compromise the data, a research diver must have exceptional diving skills, species knowledge, and follow safety protocols, all while being task loaded. Developing open source standardized ROV & DPV specs, in addition to protocols for photogrammetry and real time surveys, will facilitate large open science datasets by allowing access to crowd sourcing data collection from community divers and non-divers alike.

What is the significance of this project?

The mapping of worldwide underwater ecosystems and their biodiversity is essential to advancing marine research, and facilitating ocean conservation. This project will provide additional tools to researchers on the front line of conservation, as well as a global network of students and community scientists. Aqualink.org is providing the world with essential oceanographic data. This project seeks to add underwater mapping of the marine environment to sites on the Aqualink website.

The first real-world application of the working prototypes will be in the summer of 2024. Our team will be mapping out both coral cover, and coral species suffering from Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), with a goal of learning more about the impact and spread of the disease.

What are the goals of the project?

Photogrammetry is a method of approximating a three-dimensional (3D) structure using two dimensional images. Early work in the field, including Scripps, has demonstrated a role for this emerging technology in marine research.

Goals: 1. Aligning the current open source software and hardware development of ROVs on platforms such as BlueROV2 for u/w research with Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) development. All design specs will be available with the data to the public. 2. Aligning survey work with primary scientific diving protocols to standardize the data. For example, PISCO protocols for Kelp Forest Sampling. In situ research will compare standard indicator species surveys from research divers to DPV divers for inter-rater reliability.