Aside from exploring the universe, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has also been collecting data using a wide variety of tools to try and identify, protect, and classify coral reefs, which are known to be one of the most unique life forms in the planet. NASA has now streamlined the entire mapping of reefs so that massive amounts of data can be processed with ease.
NASA creates Gameg that can map out coral reefs globally with the help of drones
Of the many unique creatures that we have living in the ocean, perhaps the most exceptional and remarkable among all these are the coral reefs that sustain marine life. However, because of global warming and climate change, these coral reefs have begun to diminish.
There have already been several projects by scientists aimed at trying to save these coral reefs which are now endangered. But due to the vast coral ecosystem under the ocean, it is not easy to map and identify all corals in the world.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has therefore decided to meet this objective using their innovative technology.
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Mapping the ocean's corals using NEMO-Net
NASA has now developed and created a system to document coral ecosystems all over the world with the help of aircraft-connected sensors, drones, and other equipment. These devices are capable of gathering huge amounts of information. However, these must first be classified and defined for the data to be used in various research.
To do this, NASA developed a game called NEMO-Net. Through the game, a lot of players can help the space agency to try and identify coral reefs based on the data collected using drones.
Ved Chiriayath, a researcher on the project, told Somag News that "Everyone, even a primary school student can play this game and extract this data to help us map one of the most beautiful life forms we know. In the game, you take a virtual boat and dive deep into the ocean and define coral ecosystems. The game also guides you by providing you with various information about life in the ocean and coral ecosystems."
NEMO-Net can be played on devices where augmented reality is supported. The data are then sent to NASA's Pleiades supercomputer which will analyze and define the data to try and asses the health status of all coral reeds around the globe.
With players' help, NASA hopes they will be able to analyze massive amounts of data in a very short period of time.
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