How NASA's new video game can help save coral reefs

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NASA developed a game called the NeMO-Net, so that ordinary citizens like you guys can contribute towards their research on coral reef ecosystems. To better understand the threats of climate change on coral reefs, researchers collected a huge amount of image data from divers and satellites. However, there are many challenges in extracting values from these data to analyze for patterns or 'classifications'. To help aid in the data analysis process, NASA developed an artificial intelligence tool called a convolutional neural network, or CNN. However, training this neural network requires a lot of training data to function correctly, especially for these complex images of coral reefs. This is where NASA’s new game comes in. The researchers used a citizen science approach in the form of a video game called NeMO-Net, which harnesses the collective power of the gamers to generate training datasets. As players explore virtual underwater worlds, they can learn about and classify coral species, and their classification labels are then used to train NeMO-Net's CNN. The researchers are hopeful that their video game and CNN will be valuable for other future conservation and mapping projects.

Reference
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.645408

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