A couple decades ago, I read a horrific story about a young lady who had to lose her arms and legs because a flesh eating bacteria entered a slight wound while she was diving in a lake in Georgia, USA. Read more on Aimee Copeland.

As I considered how my technical skills might be used to help identify or prevent this kind of anomaly from affecting others, two developments shaped my path. First, I began to learn more about the growing impacts of climate change. At the same time, I partnered with a biology professor on her research into water systems. Together, we attempted to launch a citizen science initiative, but the project struggled to gain momentum. Drawing on that experience—and with the support of Replit — I set out to reimagine and rebuild the project according to my own vision.

Consuming information in short, rapid bursts through social media has become a pedagogical norm, and schools would be wise to adapt (a subject I’ll explore further in another project). Now, imagine a social media platform designed specifically for water: a space where people could share observations and concerns, creating a collective stream of data. Scientists could then analyze this information, while communities gain awareness of regions with heightened issues flagged by citizen scientists. With time, advanced AI tools could also be integrated to detect patterns—ranging from waste and dead organisms to bacterial presence—through large-scale data analysis.

Meet Aquaverse. I went agentic on replit for a React/Typescript/Vite app - https://replit.com/@robertpersaud/WaterWatchNet?v=1#TRAINING_PLAN.md. Analyzing water quality on the fly without training data became an obstacle, so the goal is now to really crowdsource this citizen science, so that we can connect it up with vendors in the area, scientists from around the world, and anyone with a vision for a brighter water future.