Android Builders Weblog: #WeArePlay | How two sea turtle fanatics are revolutionizing marine conservation

Posted by Leticia Lago – Developer Advertising and marketing

When environmental science scholar Caitlin returned dwelling from a visit monitoring sea turtles in Western Australia, she was impressed to create a conservation device that might enhance monitoring of the species. She related with a French developer and fellow marine life fanatic Nicolas to design their app We Spot Turtles!, permitting anybody to assist monitoring efforts by importing footage of them noticed within the wild.

Caitlin and Nicolas shared their journey in our newest movie for #WeArePlay, which showcases the superb tales behind apps and video games on Google Play. We caught up with the pair to search out out extra about their ardour and the way they’re making strides in the direction of advancing sea turtle conservation.

Inform us about the way you each acquired focused on sea turtle conservation?

Caitlin: Just a few years in the past, I did a sea turtle monitoring program for the Division of Biodiversity, Conservation and Points of interest in Western Australia. It was in all probability one of the crucial magical experiences of my life. After that, I made a decision I solely actually wished to work with sea turtles.

Nicolas: In 2010, in French Polynesia, I volunteered with a sea turtle safety venture. I used to be moved by the expertise, and after I got here again to France, I knew I wished to make use of my tech background to create one thing impressed by the journey.

How did these experiences lead you to create We Spot Turtles!?

Caitlin: There are seven species of sea turtle, and all are critically endangered. Or moderately there’s not sufficient information on them to tell an correct endangerment standing. This implies the wants of the species are going unmet and sea turtles are silently going extinct. Our inspiration is basically to raised monitor sea turtles in order that conservation may be improved.

Nicolas: Once I returned to France after monitoring sea turtles, I knew I wished to make an app impressed by my expertise. Nevertheless, I had put the venture on maintain for some time. Then, when a pal despatched me Caitlin’s social media publish searching for a developer for a sea turtle conservation app, it re-ignited my inspiration, and we teamed as much as make it collectively.

What does We Spot Turtles! do?

Caitlin: Basically, members of the general public add pictures of sea turtles they spot – and even get to call them. Then, the app robotically geolocates, giving us a date and timestamp of when and the place the ocean turtle was positioned. This permits us to trace turtles and enhance our conservation efforts.

How do you employ synthetic intelligence within the app?

Caitlin: The developments in AI in recent times have given us the chance to make a much bigger influence than we might have been in a position to in any other case. The machine studying mannequin that Nicolas created makes use of the facial scale and pigmentations of the turtles to not solely determine its species, but additionally to offer that sea turtle a novel code for monitoring functions. Then, whether it is photographed by another person sooner or later, we will see on the app the place it has been noticed earlier than.

How has Google Play supported your journey?

Caitlin: Launching our app on Google Play has allowed us to achieve a world viewers. We now have communities in Exmouth in Western Australia, Manly Seashore in Sydney, and have 6 nations in complete utilizing our app already. With out Google Play, we would not have the flexibility to attach on such a world scale.

Nicolas: I’m a cell utility developer and I exploit Google’s Flutter framework. I knew Google Play was a superb place to launch our title because it simply permits us to work on the platform. Consequently, we’ve been in a position to make the app nice.

What do you hope to attain with We Spot Turtles!?

Caitlin: We Spot Turtles! places information assortment within the palms of the individuals. It’s giving everybody the chance to make an influence in sea turtle conservation. Due to this, we consider that we will massively alter and redefine conservation efforts and improve individuals’s engagement with the pure world.

What are your plans for the longer term?

Caitlin: Nicolas and I’ve some massive plans. We need to department out into different species. We might like to do whale sharks, birds, and purple pandas. Finally, we need to obtain our objective of bettering the conservation of assorted species and animals all over the world.

Uncover different inspiring app and sport founders featured in #WeArePlay.