Pilot Project
December 2023 - December 2025
For the pilot project of the GEM initiative, eutrophication monitoring kits were designed and tested in their ability to collect standardized data for nitrogen, phosphorus, silica, oxygen, turbidity, and chl a. Participants from nine countries across Africa, the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean were selected to receive the equipment to support their monitoring programs, and invited to receive hands-on training on these kits at Hakai’s Quadra Island Coastal Observatory on the west coast of Canada.
In late September 2024, the scientists gathered at the Quadra Island Ecological Observatory for a training workshop to test out and learn how to use the GEM-in-a-Box kit. Over five days, participants learned to measure ocean nutrients as well as other oceanographic indicators—dissolved oxygen, salinity, chlorophyll, conductivity, temperature, and depth—with easy-to-use instruments that come in one portable kit. Participants learned the essential skills needed to maintain the instruments, monitor instrument performance to ensure high-quality data collection, and to manipulate and upload the data into an open-access repository. The creation of standardized and discoverable data, stored within a publicly accessible database, is essential to the success of the program.
Workshop participants will each receive a GEM-in-a-Box kit at their home institutions in early 2025, thanks to funding from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Allen Family Philanthropies. Depending on market prices and shipping, the cost of each kit works out to roughly CAD $30,000.
Following the workshop, the project partners are providing support to the pilot participants through virtual mentorship, technical and data support and will continue to do so as they implement their work plans with the GEM-in-a-box kits. In addition to the comprehensive, hands-on training provided during the workshop, the Hakai team has produced a series of training videos alongside straightforward Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and data collection templates, to remind the participants of protocols and best practices for using the equipment.
Furthermore, over the course of the pilot project, the Hakai team has provided feedback to partners on protocols, best practices and the equipment so that the kits have the best possible chance of successfully collecting high-quality data. The project partners are continuing to work collaboratively to promote the initiative, raise awareness and attract potential new partners to support the program beyond the pilot.