I have been traveling a fair amount recently and about to enjoy some Summertime with my young daughter. I just returned from a work project in Mexico helping to train artists and scientist using Autodesk Memento to digitally capture corals and sculptures in 3D. While in Mexico a big storm hit the day after I arrived bring high winds and flooding leading to power outages and preventing me from some work related SCUBA dives on the worlds second largest barrier reef the Mesoamerican reef, It was several days of really bad weather of a tropical storm bordering in category 1 hurricane. I was staying with my generous host an artist TED Fellow and amazing person Colleen Flanigan who loves the melding of art and science to protect and rejuvenate the coral reefs and spent considerable time on the ZOE sculpture project.
Aerial video from UAV of the region D-QnPgHrbsM
The storm caused considerable flooding and downed power lines and debris. I even noticed boats had sunk. ONe of the crazy concerns was not the downed power lines but a local resident telling me be careful of the standing water as there are many large hungry crocodiles that can be in there,
Nighttime candles for lighting since we did not have power.
My improvised phone waterproof sandwich bag.
Why is this important and matter?
Reefs around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate and scientists scrambling to preserve and study them and 3D accurate data is far more useful than 2D coral surveys especially for volumetric changes that can be measured using Memento. The coral reefs and mangroves surrounding the Yucatan villages such as Puerto Morelos Mexico where I was staying are what protects land, villages, and sustains all life and if they vanish so does everything else.
I had several meeting and days training how scientists working with the Mexican University UNAM and Mexican Government CONAMP can use Memento to non-destructively capture corals and reef structures as well as about anything else.
I am looking forward to sharing models and some of the projects from amazing people mixing science and art underwater in the common goal of saving the coral and oceans. Colleen Flannigan and the ZOE sculpture project as well as Roberto Diaz Abraham of MUSA.
What an amazing project and so much more to the story to tell and share with you as the data is processed data and we continue to work with the artists and scientist of the Yucatan and all of Mexico.
Gracias!
Shaan
