Coin & Octus
Octus
Hey Coin, have you ever thought about how AI could help us map and protect coral reefs in real time? It’s a game‑changer for both conservation and the new wave of eco‑tech startups. What’s your take on that?
Coin
That’s a solid bet, yeah. Real‑time AI mapping gives us instant data on bleaching, pollution and growth patterns—so we can deploy drones, alerts and policy shifts before the reef turns a shade of orange. For startups, it’s a low‑barrier entry into high‑impact tech, and the data can power everything from conservation grants to green finance products. The trick? Build a platform that’s both accurate and accessible, then partner with NGOs and governments to scale fast. The payoff is huge, and the planet will thank us for it.
Octus
Sounds like you’ve got the blueprint for a true ocean‑first startup. Maybe start by testing the AI on a smaller, well‑studied reef, gather a few success stories, then build the narrative around that. That could make the platform more credible when you approach the big NGOs and funders. Keep the data visual, simple enough for anyone to interpret, and you’ll make a compelling case that protecting reefs can also protect our own future. What kind of reefs are you thinking about testing first?
Coin
I’d hit the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island segment first. It’s heavily studied, has existing drone footage, and the local research group already runs a continuous monitoring program. Pull a few pilot datasets, show a clear drop in bleaching events when the AI alerts are deployed, and you’ve got a quick win to lock in NGOs like WWF and the Reef Trust. Then roll the visual dashboard out—color‑coded heat maps, trend graphs, simple export options—so every stakeholder can see the impact in a glance. That’s the sweet spot to prove the tech and the business case at the same time.
Octus
Lizard Island is a smart choice—so many data layers already exist. If we can show a real, measurable drop in bleaching right after the AI alerts, that’s a strong story for the WWF and Reef Trust. I’m curious about the drone data format they use; if we can standardize it for the dashboard, the heat maps will be a breeze to build. Maybe we should schedule a quick call with the local research team to see how they’re handling the raw footage. The more we lean into their existing workflow, the smoother the rollout will be. How does their current monitoring schedule look?
Coin
They run a tight cycle: a drone fly‑by every two weeks, plus continuous temperature and salinity loggers on the reef edge. The footage gets processed into GeoTIFF tiles in the evenings, so the data’s fresh by the next morning. If we sync our AI pipeline to that cadence, we can push alerts within 48 hours and keep the dashboard up to date in real time. Let's lock in a chat with the team next week and map out the data flow. That way we’ll plug right into their workflow without throwing a wrench in the gears.