🦈 Sharkitects — NASA Space Apps Winner

Sharkitects is the project our team built for NASA Space Apps Challenge, where we won the local award.
Our mission: protect endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks by predicting their presence using real satellite data, ML models and a hardware prototype for real-time monitoring.

Combining AI, remote sensing data, oceanography and IoT, we developed a fully functional solution aimed at reducing accidental bycatch and supporting conservation efforts globally.

🚀 What the Project Does

🔹 1. Machine Learning Model

Predicts hammerhead shark presence using:

SST (Sea Surface Temperature)
Chlorophyll concentration
Salinity patterns
Bathymetry
Historical species-distribution datasets

Output: probability heatmaps of shark presence.

🔹 2. Satellite Data Pipeline

We integrated:

NASA MODIS
NOAA environmental datasets
Copernicus marine data

All processed and normalized into model-ready inputs.

🔹 3. Smart Buoy Prototype

Built a low-cost IoT buoy concept equipped with:

GPS
Temperature sensor
Satellite communication mock endpoint
Alerts to fishing vessels when sharks are detected

🔹 4. Interactive UI Dashboard

A clean dashboard that visualizes:

Shark probability maps
Environmental variables
Alerts from the buoy
Temporal evolution of habitat zones

🧠 Tech Stack

Python (Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, PyTorch
GIS Tools (Rasterio, GDAL, xarray, ArcGIS/Leaflet)
NASA/NOAA Datasets
Embedded prototype (ESP32 + sensors)
Frontend (React map with layers)

🏆 Awards & Recognition

🥇 Winner — NASA Space Apps Barcelona (Local Award)
🌍 Selected to present at international follow-up events
🤝 Collaboration with marine conservation experts