OceanWatch

OceanWatch is a decentralized biodiversity platform that transforms citizen science into verifiable, incentivized ocean conservation data.

Users such as divers, fishers, and tourists submit marine life observations (e.g., shark sightings) through a simple interface. Each contributor verifies their identity using World ID, ensuring every data point is linked to a unique human — eliminating bots, duplicate entries, and unreliable data.

Verified contributions are rewarded with OCEAN tokens powered by Hedera’s Token Service. These tokens are backed by a transparent on-chain treasury funded through public donations and institutional support. When users redeem tokens, they receive real value in HBAR, and tokens are burned — creating a self-regulating, non-inflationary incentive system.

OceanWatch also enables donors to directly support ocean conservation by allocating funds to either research or environmental education. The treasury follows a dual-impact model: 80% funds data incentives, while 20% supports community education and ocean literacy initiatives.

Beyond data collection, OceanWatch provides open access to aggregated insights for scientists, NGOs, and policymakers — enabling better decisions for marine conservation.

Starting with shark monitoring in Cozumel, OceanWatch is designed to scale globally across species, ecosystems, and communities, building a decentralized infrastructure for biodiversity intelligence.

OceanWatch is a full-stack Web3 application combining identity verification, citizen science data collection, and tokenized incentives for ocean conservation. Frontend. A mobile-friendly React/Next.js interface where users submit marine observations with species, GPS location, and photos. Wallet connection is handled through Hedera's native wallet integration — users connect in one click and start contributing immediately. Identity. World ID verifies each contributor as a unique human, preventing Sybil attacks and ensuring data integrity without KYC or personal information. Data & API. A Node.js backend handles observation ingestion, validation, and links each record to a verified World ID identity. Tokenomics (Hedera HTS). OCEAN tokens are minted and managed entirely through Hedera Token Service — no Solidity, pure SDK. A treasury wallet accumulates HBAR from donations. Token price is deterministic: treasury balance divided by circulating supply. On redemption, the user's share of the treasury is calculated, HBAR is distributed, and tokens are burned. Donations. Funders send HBAR directly to the treasury, increasing the backing of every OCEAN token in circulation. Contributions are tagged by impact category — research, education, or conservation.