{"slug": "building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-s", "title": "Building JONAM: Using Copernicus Earth Observation Data to Help Restore Lake Victoria's Fisheries", "summary": "A team named JONAM won third place at the Kijani Space Hackathon by building an AI-powered web application that uses Copernicus satellite data to monitor water quality in Lake Victoria. The platform analyzes variables such as temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, rainfall, and wind speed to identify conditions that may contribute to declining fish stocks, aiming to support sustainable fisheries and protect livelihoods.", "body_md": "\"What if satellite data could help protect the livelihoods of millions who depend on Africa's largest lake?\"\n\nOur team JONAM had the privilege of participating in the Kijani Space Hackathon, where we proudly secured 3rd place while tackling Challenge 2: Sustainable Fisheries & Blue Economy.\n\nRather than building another dashboard, we wanted to solve a real problem affecting millions of people around Lake Victoria: declining fish stocks caused by worsening water quality.\n\nLake Victoria supports millions of people through fishing, transportation, agriculture, and tourism. However, over the years the lake has experienced:\n\nFor fishing communities, these are not just environmental issues—they directly affect livelihoods, food security, and local economies.\n\nOur question became:\n\nCan Earth observation data help communities understand where water conditions are becoming unsuitable for fish before the problem becomes critical?\n\nOur Solution: JONAM\n\nJONAM is an AI-powered web application that combines satellite-derived environmental data with machine learning to monitor water quality and provide insights into conditions that may contribute to declining fish stocks.\n\nInstead of relying solely on manual sampling—which is expensive and only covers small areas—our platform continuously analyses satellite observations covering the entire lake.\n\nWhy Copernicus?\n\nTo build JONAM, we integrated the KijaniBox API, which provides access to environmental datasets from the Copernicus Programme.\n\nCopernicus is the European Union's Earth observation programme. It uses a constellation of Sentinel satellites together with in-situ observations to monitor Earth's atmosphere, land, and oceans.\n\nFor our project, we focused specifically on live water telemetry variables available through the KijaniBox platform.\n\nSatellites measure the thermal radiation emitted from the water surface to estimate temperature.\n\nTemperature influences:\n\nAbnormally warm water can reduce dissolved oxygen and stress aquatic ecosystems.\n\nTurbidity measures how cloudy the water is.\n\nUsing reflected sunlight captured by optical sensors, satellites estimate suspended sediments and particles within the water.\n\nHigh turbidity often indicates:\n\nExcessive turbidity limits sunlight penetration and disrupts aquatic life.\n\nChlorophyll-a is estimated from the colour of the water observed by satellite sensors.\n\nIt acts as an indicator of phytoplankton concentration.\n\nModerate levels indicate healthy productivity.\n\nVery high concentrations may indicate harmful algal blooms, which:\n\nRainfall estimates are generated by combining satellite observations with weather models.\n\nHeavy rainfall often transports:\n\ninto Lake Victoria, increasing pollution and nutrient loading.\n\nWind speed is estimated using atmospheric observations and numerical weather prediction models.\n\nWind affects:\n\nStrong winds can either improve oxygenation or spread polluted water to previously unaffected areas.\n\nFrom Data to Action\n\nJONAM analyses these environmental variables together instead of looking at each independently.\n\nBy learning relationships between:\n\nour AI model identifies environmental conditions associated with deteriorating water quality and declining fish habitats.\n\nThe platform presents these insights through an intuitive dashboard, enabling users to monitor changing conditions across Lake Victoria.\n\nWhy This Matters\n\nTraditional water quality monitoring often depends on field teams collecting samples from a handful of locations.\n\nSatellite observations provide:\n\nThis makes environmental intelligence more accessible to researchers, governments, conservation organisations, and eventually fishing communities themselves.\n\nThe Hackathon Experience\n\nThe Kijani Space Hackathon challenged us to think beyond technology and focus on measurable environmental impact.\n\nThroughout the event, we transformed Earth observation data into practical insights that could contribute toward healthier aquatic ecosystems and more sustainable fisheries.\n\nWe're incredibly proud that JONAM earned 3rd place in Challenge 2, but the experience reinforced something even more valuable:\n\nSatellite data becomes truly powerful when transformed into decisions that improve people's lives.\n\nOur vision for JONAM extends beyond the hackathon.\n\nHackathons often end when prizes are awarded.\n\nFor us, this is just the beginning.\n\nLake Victoria's challenges require continuous innovation, and by combining Earth observation, AI, and accessible environmental data through the KijaniBox API, we hope JONAM can become one small step toward more sustainable fisheries and cleaner waters.\n\nIf you're interested in Earth observation, environmental AI, or geospatial technologies, we'd love to connect and continue building solutions that make a real-world impact.\n\nThe future of conservation isn't just in collecting more data—it's in turning that data into timely, actionable intelligence.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-s", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/major_gun/building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-victorias-fisheries-590o", "published_at": "2026-07-26 06:45:05+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-26 06:59:52.952808+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "machine-learning", "computer-vision", "ai-agents", "ai-products"], "entities": ["JONAM", "Kijani Space Hackathon", "Lake Victoria", "Copernicus Programme", "KijaniBox API", "Sentinel satellites"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-s", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-s.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-s.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/building-jonam-using-copernicus-earth-observation-data-to-help-restore-lake-s.jsonld"}}