145 “Right now, we’re actively involved in finding a way to deal with this petabyte of data, making it transparent and accessible,” Sandin said. “That’s where a lot of these spatial analytic tools and all the creative approaches to visualize data really come into play.” Thanks to advances in data processing and GIS-enabled imaging, millions of images can be processed quickly. Aided by game engines, computers can stitch together realistic 3D digital twins of the reefs. Scientists and GIS novices alike can, in effect, explore the reefs in stunning detail. The resolution, which approaches millimeter level, is high enough to see baby coral. The digital twins have also helped scientists understand the dispersal of adolescent and adult coral. GIS tools can even measure the GIS is used to understand the spatial ecology and distribution of various coral species. (Screenshot courtesy of the 100 Island Challenge team at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) Mitigating Risk and Increasing Resilience buffering zones around different coral types in various stages of development to see how they interact with each other. Granting a Voice For those whose lives are deeply entwined with the reefs, the study’s GIS maps show the coral’s struggle to save itself. “One of the stories that really struck me was when we were meeting with one of the governors of the southern states in Palau,” Sandin said. “We showed him printed maps and he said, ‘I’m a fisherman, and the fish talk to me. They can tell me what’s wrong. If there are too few fish, I go somewhere else. But the reef has never had a voice.’” As Sandin recalled, the governor pointed to the map. “This,” he said, “gives the reef a voice.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA2NTE0Mw==