Have you ever been swimming in a natural body of water and felt curious about the microscopic and larger life all around you, or what else is living in the water? There is a vast amount of life in oceans, rivers, and lakes—most of which cannot be seen with our eyes!
Your challenge is to create an app that notifies people of endangered species in the bodies of water around them, explains what they can do to help preserve those species, and informs them how to use the water for recreation in a respectful way.
BACKGROUND
People check weather apps every day to learn how they should dress and go out in the world. Much less attention is paid to our water systems. There are a number of reasons to learn more about our local water ecosystems, including practical and logistical concerns (water quality), ethical concerns (endangered species), and scientific curiosities (understanding where the water mass was prior to swimming in it, e.g., how it was transported via ocean circulation). People need to know if water is safe before they go swimming, and ideally learn about what endangered species are the water and how they can best support the ecosystem. Additionally, people could learn where the water has been in the days, weeks, and months before swimming in it. We envision a future where people can check a ‘water weather’ app to learn the conditions of their local bodies of water, as well as how they can support continued water health while they’re there.
OBJECTIVES
Your challenge is to create an app that allows users to check the water quality of their waterways and to learn what endangered species are living in the water as well as how to protect them. Think about how to make your app easy to use; it could be similar to a weather app but even more simplistic. Can your app help users to learn where the water has been before they swim in it? For example, someone swimming in North Carolina could learn that their water mass originated further south and was carried to them by the Gulf Stream.
POTENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS
As you develop your app, you may (but are not required to) consider the following:
Location: Do you want to create an app for a particular place or for many locations?
Timeline: How frequently can you get water quality observations, and which parameters will you prioritize?
Many people go swimming after applying sunscreen or some other lotion earlier in the day. You could consider how the addition of zincs and other metals contained in the sunscreen may affect the ecosystem.
Do you want the app to be more informative or more informal? You can also consider adding fun facts and other information to keep users entertained.
For data and resources related to this challenge, refer to the Resources tab at the top of the page. More resources may be added before the hackathon begins.