Kelp Keep the Oceans Safe

Front page of Streamlit

Inspiration:

The inspiration behind Kelp Keep the Oceans Safe stems from the collective concern for marine conservation. Witnessing the alarming impact of oil spills and garbage patches on marine life, I aimed to create an interactive platform that raises awareness and enables proactive contributions towards saving our oceans.

What it Does:

Kelp Keep the Oceans Safe is a comprehensive web application that allows users to explore global oil spills and garbage patches through visually appealing maps. Users can engage with an intelligent chatbot to learn about specific marine incidents and their impact on the environment. The platform also provides valuable insights into marine ecosystems, promoting education and awareness.

How I Built It:

I built Kelp Keep the Oceans Safe using a combination of Geospatial data visualization was achieved using Geopandas, Folium, and Streamlit Folium. The intelligent chatbot was developed using the Vertex AI model. The collaborative effort of our team ensured the successful implementation of these components.

Datasets can be found here: Oil Spills 1967-1981 Garbage in Oceans

Challenges I Ran Into:

During the development process, we encountered challenges related to using Google Cloud and Docker, as I have never used them. I also had trouble rendering the Folium Map with different layers.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of:

I am proud of using multiple APIs from Google Cloud such as Vertex AI, Cloud Storage, Cloud Runner, and Docker.

What I Learned:

Through the development of Kelp Keep the Oceans Safeay, I deepened our understanding of geospatial data visualization (how to clean and convert longitude and latitude data), AI model integration, real-time data streaming, and the integration of Google Cloud. I also gained insights into the challenges faced by marine ecosystems and the importance of community-driven initiatives for conservation.

What's Next for Kelp Keep the Oceans Safe:

In the future, we plan to expand Seas the Day by incorporating more interactive features, such as including an interactive form for users to fill out to report more data as the ones I used was only a small smaple. Additionally, I will continue to refine our AI chatbot for more accurate and insightful responses.