NatureSpotlight

Inspiration

Nature inspires awe and curiosity. However, identifying and understanding the incredible diversity of species around us can feel daunting without the right tools. Inspired by a love for nature and the storytelling brilliance of platforms like National Geographic, we wanted to create a solution that makes learning about biodiversity fun and accessible. Our goal was to combine AI, storytelling, and education in an engaging way.

What it does

NatureSpotlight allows users to upload or capture an image of a living organism—be it an animal, plant, insect, or flower—and instantly discover fascinating details about it. The app:

Identifies the species from the image. Provides detailed taxonomy (e.g., biological name, genus, family, and native region). Generates a short, engaging story about the species' life and ecological significance, available in text and audio formats.

How we built it

We developed NatureSpotlight using:

Streamlit as the front-end framework for an intuitive and interactive user experience. Gemini API for image recognition and taxonomy retrieval. Python libraries like Pillow for handling image uploads and processing. Hosted the app on Streamlit Cloud for easy accessibility.

Challenges we ran into

One major hurdle was prototyping and running initial tests in Google Colab. While Colab was convenient for writing and debugging the code, integrating the app components into Streamlit and transitioning from a notebook environment required significant effort. Debugging API integration and figuring out deployment took time, but we persevered to create a seamless user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully combining image recognition, taxonomy retrieval, and storytelling into one app. Making biodiversity knowledge accessible in an interactive and engaging format. Overcoming the technical challenges of transitioning from a notebook-based prototype to a fully deployed web app. Providing both textual and audio outputs to enhance inclusivity and usability.

What's next for NatureSpotlight

Adding support for multi-language storytelling to reach a broader audience. Incorporating conservation status and ecological significance to raise awareness about endangered species. Developing a mobile app version for on-the-go exploration. Enabling community contributions, allowing users to upload species information and images for broader collaboration.

Built With

• gemini
• python
• streamlit