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NASA has created a new video game with a purpose.
In NeMO-NETPlayers use their iPhone, iPad or computer to travel virtually to the depths of the ocean, identifying and classifying all the corals they find. The images are taken from real-life ocean expeditions, and playing the game will help scientists create a better coral map of the world that can aid conservation efforts before the reefs are removed.
For the past few years, scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley have observed the world’s oceans, using new tools That’s right for the optical distortion of the water to show a clearer and more detailed look below the ocean surface. By mounting the new instruments on drones and aircraft, scientists have obtained 3D images of corals, algae, and seagrasses on the ocean floor during the course of expeditions to Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa. But now, scientists have to classify all of that data, which is where the game comes in.
On NeMO-Net, you can explore the images of these expeditions, learn about the different types of coral, and highlight where they appear. Along the way, you can earn badges and track your progress. The game has an ambient soundtrack and crisp graphics, which is good at a time when we could all use a bit of relaxing downtime. And it’s useful for conservation, too: All the data users generate when playing helps train a NASA supercomputer to identify corals on their own.
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“NeMO-Net harnesses the most powerful force on this planet: not a sleek camera or supercomputer, but people,” said NASA Principal Investigator Ved Chirayath, who developed the neural network behind the game, in a statement. “Anyone, even a first grader, can play this game and classify this data to help us map one of the most beautiful life forms we know of.”
The game comes at an important moment. The oceans are home to as many species as rain forests. They are also crucial for the health of people and the planet because they are an important source of food and help regulate carbon in the atmosphere, among other important functions.
However, they are also threatened by pollution, overfishing, and rising ocean temperatures and acidification. And coral reefs are some of the most threatened ecosystems. This month alone, researchers found that the entire Great Barrier Reef is in the middle of a unprecedented whitening event That is wiping out coral in every corner of the ecosystem.
Although we know that the world’s oceans are in danger, we do not have a detailed map of them. The work done by NASA could help create one that works as a baseline for coral health. That in turn could help us understand which parts of the ocean need the most help, both for the sake of conserving biodiversity and for the billions of people who live offshore and depend on the sea.
“Coral reefs are a critical part of our life support system,” said Sylvia Earle, a legendary conservationist and project collaborator, in a statement. “They define us, they define the ocean, they define our planet.”
You can to download the free game for your Mac, iPhone or iPad.
