Galaxy smartphones have revolutionized coral reef monitoring through underwater photography, leading to the restoration of over 10,000 square meters of coral reefs – an area equivalent to 25 basketball courts.
On Monday, Samsung Electronics unveiled the first-year results of its marine ecosystem restoration project, Coral in Focus, which harnesses Galaxy camera technology.
Coral reefs are crucial habitats for marine life and play a vital role in ocean carbon cycling. The project monitors coral reef health in severely damaged areas, including Florida in U.S., Bali in Indonesia, and Viti Levu island in Fiji, using Galaxy smartphones. The data collected contributes to restoration research.
Samsung Electronics has been collaborating with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the non-profit organization SeaTrees on this project since last year.
For the project, Samsung Electronics developed Ocean Mode, a specialized camera setting optimized for underwater coral photography. This advanced feature reduces the excessive blue tones common in underwater shots, capturing the true colors of coral reefs more accurately than typical recreational underwater cameras.
The mode also minimizes motion blur through optimized shutter speeds and multi-frame processing technology. Users can capture thousands of high-resolution images in a single session using the interval feature.
This functionality is exclusively available to local organizations involved in restoration research, with activists receiving Galaxy S24 Ultra devices.
These lightweight devices have earned praise for replacing bulky, hard-to-operate underwater cameras, significantly simplifying underwater photography.
Coral reef images captured with Galaxy’s Ocean Mode have been used to create 17 3D coral restoration maps. The research has led to the planting of 11,046 new corals, restoring over 10,000 square meters of reef – an area 25 times the size of a basketball court.
Samsung Electronics has also undertaken other initiatives to protect marine ecosystems. The company has repurposed discarded fishing nets into components for the Galaxy S22 series and expanded this practice to tablets, PCs, and wearables.
In 2021, the company announced its environmental sustainability vision, Galaxy for the Earth, pledging to pursue sustainability throughout the product lifecycle, from production and use to disposal.