BuildingBloCS March 30

Inspiration

As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events like wildfires become even more frequent, koalas face many significant challenges in maintaining their habitat and food sources. Koalas, iconic symbols of Australia, have been severely affected by these extreme events. We were motivated by the need to better understand how fire incidents, in combination with rising temperatures among other factors, are impacting koala populations and their habitats.

What it does

Our streamlit project analyzes the impact of climate change and forest fires on the koala population in Australia, which are getting more and more frequent as time goes on, threatening koala lives, causing a decline in their population and survival rate. We hope that this project will be able to raise awareness and encourage conservation efforts to protect koalas in the face of these challenges.

How we built it

We collected data from sources such as Kaggle and Government websites, mainly the Australian government. Using Python various libraries, we processed and analyzed the data to identify trends, in areas such as fire incidences and temperature fluctuations. We then developed a front-end using Streamlit, which allows users to explore different datasets, visualize patterns, and gain insights into how the environmental changes impact koalas.

Challenges we ran into

There was a lack of detailed and updated data on koala populations, especially in specific fire-affected areas. As there are a lot of gaps in long-term monitoring in various datasets, it was quite a significant challenge to accurately assess the full impact of the fire incidents and rising temperatures.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We managed to develop a Streamlit app that makes complex climate and wildfire data accessible to users. Additionally, we designed clear and engaging visualizations that make the data more understandable, helping to raise awareness and support informed decision-making in wildlife protection. After much searching in the internet, we also managed to find reliable datasets to use, allowing us to build a more accurate and meaningful analysis, supporting our insights with reliable data.

What we learned

Throughout the entire process, we learned a great deal about the complexity of environmental data, especially concerning the interconnectedness of climate change, fires, and wildlife health. Additionally, this project helped us better appreciate the daily struggles faced by conservationists around the world, particularly when attempting to strike a balance between human and ecological interests in places that are prone to fire.