The UP Marine Science Institute developed Reef BayBe, a simplified reef assessment software for DOST-PCAARRD. The software is intended for Marine Protected Area (MPA) Managers who are in charge of coral reefs. It uses data-driven principles to interpret how stable their coral reef is in the face of human & environmental stress.
I developed the primer/manual that accompanies the software.
The software developed by UP MSI. Users may input their data by moving the sliders to the right.
Many MPA managers have little background in marine science topics, so the primer explained in accessible language how factors can help or hurt the reef. This also doubled as a manual on how to use the software.
The greatest challenge was balancing scientific terms with plain language and accurate visuals. As a non-scientist, I asked my scientist collaborators to further explain terms that they usually take for granted. This helped declutter the writing to something that everyone was comfortable with.
The primer uses a mix of illustration, photographs, and IAN symbols* to express marine science concepts. I worked closely with marine scientists to get their approval at each stage.
*IAN symbols are a free library of icons designed to help scientists create conceptual diagrams. The icons are contributed worldwide by fellow scientists. They can be downloaded as PNGs or Ai vectors here.
The physical copy of Reef BayBe comes with a CD containing the software. Included in the CD are java installers and a PDF of the manual. None of the components require an internet connection. This was done to accommodate far-flung local governments that might have little or no internet access.
Left: Visual development. Some initial explorations into color palette and expressing coral shapes geometrically. Right: I eventually settled on three colors, plus white and gray.
Icons that appear in the software's UI are taken from illustrations in the manual for a stronger visual connection.
Colored borders (green, orange, blue) were carried over from previous versions of the software. Green for environment, orange for human activity, blue for weather & climate.
The final product was given a comb spine so it could lie flat. Users often leave manuals open while browsing the software.
"Reef BayBe: A Coral Reef Decision-Making Tool & Primer" was published in June 2018. To cite Reef BayBe, please use the following citation:
David, L.T., dela Cruz, T. L. P., Almo, A. T., Yu, R. G. V. 2018. Reef BayBe: A Coral Reef Decision-Making Tool & Primer. University of the Philippines Diliman: Quezon City, Philippines. pp 11.
Access to "Reef BayBe" can be requested via email from DOST-PCAARRD or UP MSI. It is free for anyone to use and distribute.
"Reef BayBe" was produced under Project 5 of the National Assessment of Coral Reef Environments (NACRE), funded by the DOST Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research & Development (DOST-PCAARRD).
Maraming salamat po!
