COTS BEGONE

Inspiration

Coral reefs act as carbon sinks to slow down climate change, provide revenue for coastal economies, and support the marine life and biodiversity of the Earth's oceans. These reefs are being destroyed by the Crown of Thorns Starfish. We believe that solving a global problem at this scale requires collaboration from all walks of life, and as such we developed an algorithm that allows anyone to spot these Starfish.

What it does

This project analyzes images and videos to detect the Crown of Thorns Starfish. Users can upload images or videos and will be returned the location of the starfish. Users can also view current submitted solutions.

How we built it

The algorithm utilizes AI and machine learning to detect the starfish. We started with a data analysis of a training set of images and expanded it to handle most cases of the seabed. We then exported the algorithm as a model into a web app that allows the user to input images of the ocean floor and receive the locations of the detected starfish. We also incorporated a way for users to submit their own feedback and ideas to combat the issue using Firebase.

Challenges we ran into

Being unfamiliar with Python in web development, we had difficulties incorporating our algorithm into our frontend design. As a result, we sought support from mentors and online tutorials to learn how to complete the frontend aspect.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Through this project, we were able to complete our project as well as achieve a detection rate of about 60%.

What we learned

This project allowed us to refine our web development and frontend skills in order to embed our algorithm into a web page.

What's next for COTS BEGONE

While we completed the detection and web page for our algorithm, our project is far from perfection. We'd like to increase the detection rate and enhance the UI by adding more collaborative features and providing a smoother experience.