Sparkgeo partners on a 2.0 solution to track and monitor the effects of climate change

MERMAID: new advancements in monitoring coral reef health  — There’s a common misperception that nature got a break from humans during the pandemic. In  fact, it has been quite the opposite. Coral reefs continue to suffer dramatically due to climate  change; specifically coral bleaching, spiked by extreme ocean heat waves, ocean acidification  and the rise in sea levels is taking a huge toll on these underwater gardens. 

Until recently, there was no systematic option for tracking changes in reef health, or widely  sharing these changes amongst the scientific community and affected governments. In 2016,  global geospatial experts Sparkgeo partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop, pilot and implement a technological solution: the Marine  Ecological Research Management AID (MERMAID). An advancement on this platform will be  launched in 2022, with a new release of the MERMAID web app–a major engineering initiative  that is faster, more reliable, easier to maintain, more intuitive, and future-proof.  

The team from Sparkgeo, WCS, and WWF built the MERMAID platform to accelerate the  collection of critical underwater data on coral reef health, which previously took months or even  years to standardize and analyze. Now, when scientists emerge from monitoring the reefs post  dive, MERMAID enables them to upload the data they’ve gathered underwater, quickly sorts  and cleans the data and standardizes species. The information is then stored centrally and  securely in the cloud for use by field scientists on location, and policy makers.  

“MERMAID uses cutting-edge open-source technology and makes it easier to get the data  collected by scientists back into the hands of communities,” says Dr. Emily Darling, Director of  Coral Reef Conservation at WCS. “The platform gets us closer to our vision: a world where  coordination and collaboration support rapid, evidence-based decision making to protect and  manage coral reefs.”  

Providing this data to decision makers using cutting-edge cloud technology is transforming coral  reef conservation. For the first time, marine scientists have been able to gather, analyze and  share field-based reef data on an open-source platform. MERMAID provides instant access to  updated data in forms, making data products like charts and maps a matter of minutes, not  days. 

“We’re providing timely, accurate, and understandable information on coral reef health for  scientists to inform governments and organizations like WCS and WWF,” says Will Cadell, CEO  of Sparkgeo. “The information tells us: Is conservation working? Are reefs recovering? What  reefs are the most threatened or healthy? How can conservation help reefs adapt to a changing  climate?” 

With MERMAID, scientific knowledge is brought quickly and directly into the hands of the people  on the front lines who are poised to take action to protect reefs in the upcoming global  biodiversity negotiations in Kunming, China planned for early 2022. MERMAID’s new global  dashboard also democratizes coral reef data, letting anyone from anywhere around the world  pull up a map of the globe’s reefs to get a quick, simple snapshot of how reefs are surviving.  

“Working on impactful environmental projects is at the essence of what makes Sparkgeo go  round,” shares Cadell. “We love geospatial work, and the fact that what we do can support  climate change efforts is a huge part of why we do what we do. We are walking our walk by  partnering with groups like WCS and WWF; this is our planet and we love it.” 

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About Sparkgeo 

At Sparkgeo, we provide geospatial expertise to companies. Our obsessive focus on geospatial  technology makes us somewhat unique. In fact, most of our work has been with other  technology companies who look to us as leaders in this field, combining our team’s expertise  with their in-house team. We’re curious, listen carefully, are platform-agnostic, and afford critical  value to our clients. 

About WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)  

For more than 70 years WCS has been underwater studying coral reefs. Today there is a global  crisis for coral reefs facing pressures from climate change, pollution, unsustainable tourism, and  destructive fishing. From Kenya to Belize, Mozambique to Cuba, WCS is conserving reef  biodiversity hotspots and supporting communities who depend on reefs to survive. We currently  work across 16 countries to protect coral reefs and ensure that they can continue to provide for  the people and species that rely on them.