National, 5th June 2023: Sahaj Software, a multinational artisanal technology services company has partnered with Citizens of Great Barrier Reef, a people-powered conservation organisation, to develop the technology and software infrastructure necessary to enable the Great Reef Census. The initiative is one of the world’s largest marine citizen science initiatives and aims to fill critical data gaps about the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest marine ecosystem, and mobilise citizens and technology partners to collaborate and provide data to scientists as well as reef managers who can then work together to protect the reef.
Stretching over 2000 km and home to a quarter of the world’s marine species, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is a global treasure and a critical marine ecosystem that is under threat due to climate change, pollution, and other environmental factors. To address the urgent need to fill critical data gaps, the Citizens of Great Barrier Reef launched a global Great Reef Census campaign on April 13, 2023, with the aim of comprehensively analysing images of the reef with the help of tens of thousands of citizens scientists or virtual volunteers. To ensure the campaign’s success, it is vital to mobilise citizens and technology partners to work together and best harness the eyes of those wanting to help protect the reef. Before the Great Reef Census, as little as 5% of the Great Barrier Reef was regularly surveyed, leaving significant data gaps as the reef changes year-on-year. The Census has now collected survey data from 15% of the reefs across the wider Great Barrier Reef. The Great Reef Census will also be featured in the Stan Original Documentary Revealed: Reefshot premiering soon, only on Stan. The documentary follows the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef team and core delivery partners on the quest to scale up the Great Reef Census as it embarks on its third year.
Speaking on the partnership, Andy Ridley, CEO, of Citizens of Great Barrier Reef said, “The Great Barrier Reef is not just an environmental icon, it is also an emotional one. What we do here reflects how we treat our oceans and marine life around the world. We are the first generation in history to face environmental issues on this scale, but also the first generation with the power to do something about it. We rely on Sahaj to rationalise the process and utilise technology in the best possible way. The urgency to create conservation solutions cannot be overstated, and the future of the Great Barrier Reef will be defined by the actions we take.”
Ever since its launch in 2020, the Great Reef Census has made significant progress with 510 unique reefs surveyed, over 75,000 images collected, and over 100 vessels and operators involved. However, as the initiative scaled over time, the image analysis platform that catered to everyday citizens across the world became overly complex. To simplify the analysis, interface, and data extraction for the Great Reef Census, Sahaj came in as a partner with software and data engineering expertise to develop the engineering and data platform. As part of the core delivery team, in partnership with Citizens GBR, we enabled the launch of the new analysis platform at greatreefcensus.org that allows citizen scientists to provide more data to marine scientists on coral types and cover across the reef. The platform also leveraged deep learning (AI) capabilities from Dell Technologies. Currently, India has the third largest share of citizen scientists who contribute to the analysis platform, behind only the USA and Australia.
Sahaj Software’s expertise in platform and data engineering is playing a pivotal role in creating a trusted ecosystem of partners and citizens powered by an intelligent platform that augments and amplifies human contributions toward conservation. The technology solution from Sahaj engages with citizens while providing valuable intelligence to the scientific and conservation community, enabling citizen scientists to play a vital role in protecting and revitalising the Reef.
Anand Iyengar, Managing Director, Sahaj Software, commented, “Protecting the Great Barrier Reef is a critical mission that demands immediate action. Our partnership with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef is a testament to the power of collaboration and tech innovation to drive meaningful change. At Sahaj Software, we are committed to utilising our expertise in software engineering to help conserve the world’s largest coral ecosystem. We hope that our partnership inspires others to join us in this vital mission to safeguard our planet’s biodiversity for future generations.”
On the partnership, Akash Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO, of Sahaj Software said, “At Sahaj, we are deeply committed to making a difference with software. We strive to be an active part of initiatives that have a lasting impact on the world. We are grateful for the opportunity to be involved in this monumental initiative and contribute towards the protection of such an important ecosystem. Citizens GBR have been instrumental in driving this initiative and creating awareness around the importance of protecting the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a privilege to join hands with such visionaries and bring a cause of this magnitude to fruition through technology.”
As the Great Barrier Reef faces an existential threat, it is crucial that we act now to protect it. The partnership between Sahaj Software and Citizens of Great Barrier Reef aims to conserve the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral ecosystem. We believe that this partnership is a testament to the spirit of collaboration and innovation, and we hope that it inspires others to join the fight to save our planet.
Sahaj Software is proud to have brought its engineering expertise to this monumental journey with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef. Together, we are working towards a common goal of conserving the Great Barrier Reef and creating a better future for all.