Lean Impact
When looking at the picture above, you may notice the dozens of bright, vibrant colors, Or perhaps the several different species of marine life. This picture exemplifies the most important quality that coral reefs have to offer: Biodiversity. Coral reefs are home to a diverse assortment of marine life that are vital to coastal marine ecosystems. Without them, most of these important species would become extinct. However, coral reefs all around the world have been slowly dying, due to a variety of factors. In fact, the percentage of the earth in some areas that is covered by coral reefs is steadily declining. This is happening, most famously, in the great barrier reef, as is seen in this graph:
While many strides have been made in the right direction with legislative policy and scientific research, the problem is still worsening, and the reefs are in grave danger. By far the most pressing issue facing corals is that of coral bleaching. This is where we hope to make a difference. Coral bleaching occurs when CO2 is absorbed into the water from the atmosphere. This increased CO2 concentration causes the overall temperature and pH of the water to rise. According to data from NOAA, the surface ocean temperature has consistently risen by 0.13°C per decade in the past 100 years. This temperature rise is causing the symbiotic algae that grows on coral reefs to be dispelled. This leaves the corals barren, which does not immediately kill them, but leads to extreme stress which can eventually kill them.
While this problem is daunting, we have identified some root causes and points of intervention that lead us to believe we can make a difference. The root cause is obviously increased CO2 emissions from humans. Any way to lower these emissions would help drastically. However, we have also noticed that there is a severe lack of readily accessible knowledge on where bleaching events are likely to occur or are occurring. Making this knowledge easier to obtain would both increase public awareness and aid in scientific research that can help in many other ways.
Lean Canvas 1: Reef Mapping App
While we were digging deeper into our problem space to uncover some points of intervention, our problem landed almost naturally in our laps. This problem manifested itself within the inherent difficulty that accompanied our efforts to find hard data on where Floridian corals were being hit hardest by rising temperatures, and where the most significant bleaching events are occurring. Though we were able to find data via the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s BleachWatch Program, it took us several hours to finally see results. The Florida Keys BleachWatch program is of similar structure to our proposed solution, but there are several key differences which we believe will make our option much more viable and successful. The current program encompasses a survey-style system primarily targeted at divers as primary participants. Divers would observe signs of coral bleaching or markers of an incoming bleaching event (based on guidelines put out by the FDEP), and report them through the BleachWatch website. The reports are then compiled into a data sheet at the end of each month, and reports are mapped onto images such as this (taken from the October 2020 report) to determine whether a significant risk to coral reef health is present.
While this is somewhat effective, there are several key flaws which prevent the system from reaching its full potential. Firstly, the FDEP does little to incentivize active participation in the BleachWatch program. The lack of participatory incentives makes the second flaw seem somewhat understandable. In the entire month of October, only three reports were submitted (1). The FDEP states on its website that it encourages divers to send reports even when corals are not damaged, proving that the lack of frequent reporting does not necessarily correlate with better conditions. In August 2020, when overall risk was deemed “moderate,” (as opposed to the low risk seen in October) only 40 reports were submitted (2).
So Where Does This Leave Us?
We wanted to create a solution (built off of the idea of mapping coral reef bleaching) that would simultaneously encourage frequent participation and maximize the accuracy of reports. Much like how Georgia Tech is currently handling their system of testing for COVID-19, we want to make our solution fun, simple, and extremely productive.
Our solution encompasses an incentivized competition, powered by an app, to locate and photograph damaged or bleached corals. The app that would serve as the backbone of the competition would take photos from the user and automatically upload them to a cloud-powered map. Areas with high photo volume would be marked in red along the map, whereas areas with low volume would be marked with blue. We would subsequently sell this data to larger entities (i.e. public and private laboratories, or government organizations such as the FDEP) and use the revenue to fuel incentives. Such incentives would include free tickets to resorts such as SeaWorld or hotels along the Florida coastline. This gives us our revenue stream. We also want to expand our audience by advertising to tourists at coastal hotels seeking to embark on excursions (such hotel residents would be key examples of our early adopters, and advertising to them via partnerships with their respective hotels would exemplify our primary channels). We will also continue to target divers and coastal fishermen, whose livelihoods will inevitably be malignantly affected if bleaching events were to occur (giving us our unique value). One key metric we thought it would be interesting to explore in our solution was the fact that nearly 70 different species of coral are present along the Floridian coastline (3). Perhaps we could assign each species a point value based on its relative abundance and well-being, further fueling the competitive spirit that powers the competition.
From a logistical standpoint, our proposal is quite ambitious. It would ultimately involve a fixed cost of developing the app, and variable costs for maintenance, continued funding of participation incentives, and advertising. However, as Georgia Tech students, we have an unfair advantage within our access to one of the most prestigious computer science programs in the world, as well as a vast array of resources to aid with the creation of a new business model.
In terms of a high-value concept, we view our solution as being most similar to SnapChat’s SnapMap feature, but repurposed to find and report areas where larger entities can allocate their resources. An example of SnapMap is displayed below.
Areas with a high volume of “Snaps” are highlighted in darker colors, similarly to how we will map areas of frequent report submission.
Obviously, we are not the only ones attempting to solve the broader problem of coral reef deterioration as a result of increased temperatures. One of today’s primary existing alternatives encompasses the use of chemicals such as guanidine (typically found in SCUBA gear) to scrub CO2 from areas with high production. In our second lean canvas, we build upon this idea and focus on means of reducing CO2 in areas of high marine traffic.
The Main Focus of Our Lean Canvas:
What is our Problem-to-Solve?
We believe that by engaging a broad audience and incentivizing participation in our coral bleaching reporting system, larger entities will have the necessary resources to better coordinate their relief efforts and direct their resources.
What is the Customer Need?
- (Tourist/Participant Perspective) When vacationing at a coastal hotel and looking for possible excursion opportunities, I want to have a fun means of making a noticeable difference in the local environment and preserving the natural environment that makes such tourist destinations as Florida so beautiful.
- (Laboratory Scientist/FDEP Perspective) We want to gain access to an inexpensive yet effective means of identifying where coral reef restoration efforts are needed most, so that we are ensuring that resources are being diverted to the right areas.
What Value Can We Offer the Customer?
By developing an app that can map coral bleaching events and creating an incentivized competition to encourage users to download the app, we can provide an inexpensive means of providing a fun excursion opportunity for tourists in Florida and an efficient vehicle for larger entities to coordinate their relief efforts.
What are Our Three Riskiest Assumptions?
- Our app will gain traction among users and will yield a sufficient volume of reports.
- Hotels would be willing to allow us to advertise to their residents.
- Larger entities will be willing to buy the data produced by our app (ultimately, our cost will be less than that of current imaging technology).
How Can We Mitigate These Assumptions Using Experimentation?
- To solve our first assumption, perhaps we could sample interest among students here at Georgia Tech (perhaps even here in Grand Challenges). Our solution is geared towards tourists, and thus many students here are potential customers in our business model. By directly sampling interest, we can measure how appealing our model truly is.
- To test this assumption, we can perhaps interview some of the larger hotel chains or view how other excursion programs are advertised on hotel property. We can take a sample activity (parasailing, for example) and compare how it is advertised in each chain of coastal hotels.
- To test this final assumption, we must also advance further in our stakeholder interviews. We will need to interview members of the Computer Science department here at Georgia Tech to gain a rough estimate of the cost of developing an app with our specific capabilities, and whether or not it is a sustainable idea. We will also need to contact the FDEP’s BleachWatch advisors to survey interest in such a program.
Lean Canvas 2: CO2 Scrubbing
Ocean temperatures are continually increasing, causing coral reef ecosystems to be disrupted by a process known as coral bleaching. The rise in temperatures causes the symbiotic algae attached to corals to become stressed and disperse from the coral, leaving them barren. This problem ultimately boils down to increased CO2 emissions from coastal factories in the production of such materials as plastics.
To combat this, we propose the creation of a guanidine “lamp” that can either be placed on buoys in critical areas or directly in coastal factories. These lamps are capable of scrubbing nearby air of CO2. Since this process creates a solid material — CaCO3 — the lamps will require continual maintenance. By adding scrubbing technology to buoys, we can offer a product that reduces CO2 emissions that the customer already requires to increase sustainability without making changes within their manufacturing processes.
There are some key metrics that factor into implementing these buoys. Firstly, the cost per pound of guanidine must be calculated in order to determine the cost at which the buoys are sold. Furthermore, the areas in which marine traffic is the heaviest must be identified by finding the number of boats that pass by an area or port per annum. Lastly, the areas along the coast in which CO2 emissions are the highest must also be identified. This can be measured in moles of CO2 produced per annum. With these metrics, we can pinpoint the exact cost of implementing the buoys including maintenance, as well as locate exactly where they will be most efficiently used in lowering bleaching rates.
Although we predict that most of our sales will come from coastal factories, it is possible that the buoys can be used by the coast guard and fishermen as well. However, the earliest adopters will be the coastal factories as well as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, who seek to conserve the coral reef ecosystems and play a large role in laws regarding the reefs.
There are two fixed costs to consider with this solution: the construction of a prototype and the procurement of materials, most notably guanidine. However, if we are able to create an efficient prototype, our product will be an invaluable asset in reducing bleaching rates and CO2 emissions that does not require factories to alter their manufacturing processes, as buoys are a resource they already use. The revenue we gain from selling the product will sustain our business as well as any further research we need to conduct in the future.
The Main Focus of Our Lean Canvas:
What is our Problem-to-Solve?
We believe that by decreasing the CO2 levels in waters near reefs using CaCO3, greenhouse gas emissions will decrease, lowering water temperatures and preventing symbiotic algae from dispersing from corals.
What is the Customer Need?
- (Coastal Manufacturer’s Perspective) I want to maximize my production output while also abiding by environmental policies to work towards a more sustainable future.
- (Coast Guard’s Perspective) We want to ensure that all laws regarding maritime boundaries and activities are upheld to protect public safety.
What Value Can We Offer the Customer?
Many have tried to reduce CO2 emissions through altering their production methods to involve renewable materials and energy. However, this may cause the price of the product to increase and the efficiency of production to decrease as well. By implementing scrubbing technology in buoys, factories will not have to alter their manufacturing processes in order to reduce emissions.
What are Our Three Riskiest Assumptions?
- Manufacturers would want to purchase buoys that scrub CO2.
- The scrubbing would do enough to balance out CO2 emissions from factories.
- Enough buoys would be purchased to make a significant reduction in bleaching rates.
How Can We Mitigate These Assumptions Using Experimentation?
- Our first assumption requires us to look more into stakeholder interviews with coastal manufacturers. Pitching our idea and receiving feedback on it will allow us to gauge the interest in our product.
- To test this assumption, we would need to create a working prototype of the buoys. Once we have a working prototype, we can measure exactly how much CO2 the buoys can scrub from the waters.
- To mitigate our final assumption, it is possible to contact the FDEP about the buoys to kickstart our product. Because the FDEP is the most dedicated entity to the health of Florida’s reefs, they are the most likely to adopt the product and potentially enforce policies regarding CO2 scrubbing.
WORKS CITED:
(As seen in the analysis above)
2. https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/SEAFANCC_2020.09.09.pdf
