Oceans and coral reefs are the backbone of a multitude of ecosystems and for human livelihood. We have already lost or severely damaged more than 50% of coral reefs worldwide.
Through technology and tourism, Reef Support empowers more people to discover the world of coral reefs, and take action to protect them.
Each year, billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean. Some of the debris ends up on our beaches, washed in with the waves and tides. Waste then sink, eaten by animals that mistake it for food or accumulate in ocean gyres. Despite the economic benefits of tourism, beach managers have grown increasingly resistant to continued resort development due to lack of clear predictive insights and planning strategies. We brings informative insights to better manage coastal and land-based pollution for healthier beaches and coastlines.
Through our global network of coral reef, cetacean and shark conservation organizations, we offer marine conservation training for individuals and groups, from zero to advanced diving levels, at the most beautiful coastal destinations around the world. Whether you're interested in conservation, marine biology, or just want to give back to the ocean, there's a project waiting for you. Become a certified Reef Ranger and start to make your reef-impact today!
At Reef Support, we develop intuitive and user-friendly software to process underwater imagery data to assist global reef monitoring efforts. 91% of ocean species have yet to be classified. The beauty of our Open Coral AI is that with a little bit of guidance, anyone can take a picture, upload it and contribute to global reef monitoring database. For individuals, travel to a reef conservation site and help us collect important coral reef data, or help us with data labelling from anywhere in the world and be rewarded! For organizations, our tool is open sourced to use.
It is nearly impossible to protect oceans effectively without knowing exactly the changing conditions and threats they face. 80% of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. The unprecedented detail of satellite data allows scientists, practitioners, diving centers, local governments and educators to access a growing database of mapped ocean data, from water quality (SST, Salinity, Chorophyll), to habitats (coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass) to algae and plastic pollution. Start mapping with us today.
Coral reefs are exceptionally valuable; they provide food, livelihoods and economic opportunity to more than half a billion people in over 100 countries; they are also teeming with life, hosting a quarter of all known marine species. Nearly 200 million people depend on coral reefs to protect them from storm surges and waves. Increased acidification, pollution, fishing and other forms of coastal activities all impact our fuure of our coral reefs.
With the support of the University of Amsterdam, our CTO Yohan Runhaar carried out research to explore advanced methods for coral classification and segmentation, addressing limitations in current approaches. By leveraging computer vision techniques, the study offers a pathway to enhance efficiency and precision in assessing coral reef health using innovative AI techniques.
Marc Baauw conducted this research as part of his MSc studies in GIMA, a program offered by TU Delft, Wageningen University, Utrecht University, and the University of Twente. His aim was to gain insights into the differences between two rugosity calculation approaches using SFM-based photogrammetry.
During the AI for Coral Bleaching Hackathon organized by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, the Reef Support team used the k-means segmentation technique to detect live coral cover and coral bleaching extent. This was a critical step in creating an accurate AI model to predict coral bleaching events and identify healthy and unhealthy coral reefs.
In this blog, we'll explore how you can contribute to the conservation of coral reefs and help advance marine research through Open Coral AI. With just a few simple steps, you can take part in a global effort to monitor and protect coral reefs, even if you're not a marine scientist or conservationist.
Meeting in the Netherlands and seeing her determination to take part as a volunteer, Reef Support and IBF decided that Amba would become the "first reef ranger", where she would travel to Lombok for 2 months to develop reef monitoring techniques and to set the groundwork for a continued reef ranger program into the future.
The 4 Reef Students are making great progress: signing their first contract, breaking first ground on the lab, gaining their Open Water PADI certificate, and having their first restoration dive! Click to read more on the story, where we thank the sponsors and tell you how to get more involved, by T-shirts, or by citizen science.
Motivated by a shared goal, 4 Reef Students of TU Delft are closely working together, in the context of their ongoing studies, with Reef Support and an inspiring non-governmental organisation, the Indonesia Biru Foundation (IBF) to kickstart the decade of ocean regeneration with a community-driven coral lab!
Reef Support was invited to take place in the Ocean Innovation Africa event in Cape Town, as an exhibitor and challenge owner. Together with OceanHub Africa, the hosts of the event, we presented one of the challenges part of the Ocean Hackathon ®.
Reef Support has decided to collaborate with FruitPunch AI to set up a 2 month (Oct - Dec 2021) Hackathon, inviting data scientists to analyze underwater photographs to infer the health and growth of coral reefs.
On the 1st of June, Reef Support had the incredible opportunity to present the factors contributing to the demise of coral reefs around the world at Lycée Français Vincent Van Gogh. This also marks the start of Reef Students.
In September 2021, Reef Support’s vision for strong international coordination and community building of an ocean prediction capacity for the future has led to a science programme submitted to the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
On the 23rd of April, students of TU Delft were invited to participate in the 2021 Hackathon organised by YES!Delft Students and work on a case of Reef Support. Read more to find out about the winning teams and ideas!
New destinations, platform launches, hackathons, free workshops and webinars.
