Lakes380

The Lakes380 programme is the biggest survey of natural lakes in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand. An ambitious project led by the Cawthron Institute and GNS Science, the programme collected data on the water quality of approximately 10% of 3,800 lakes across the country.

Of course, a dataset this large, with value to so many groups, needs a simple, user-friendly interface. That’s where UpShift came in.

“It’s an enjoyable challenge to be presented with data, and figure out the best way to make it make sense - make it into something people can easily navigate,” says lead developer Will Macgregor.

“It’s an enjoyable challenge to be presented with data, and figure out the best way to make it make sense - make it into something people can easily navigate, In the case of Lakes380, the Cawthron/GNS team made it easy by providing examples and references, so we knew where we were starting, and we had a good idea of what the final application should look like.”

Getting the final product just right involved drawing on geographical information from multiple sources, collaborating with the programme team, and paying attention to every detail.

“The most important thing was being able to see the location and health of the lakes - both as an overall percentage of the country, and individually. We spent time making sure the information was as accessible as possible.”

It’s an enjoyable challenge to be presented with data, and figure out the best way to make it make sense

Will Macgregor / Senior Developer (UpShift)

Programme co-leader Dr Susie Wood, from Cawthron, says the web application built by UpShift is helping to raise awareness of the current state of lakes in Aotearoa-New Zealand lakes, and prompt the urgent action required to not only address water quality deterioration, but also plan restoration.

“The app is super easy to use and understand, and visually appealing. This sort of technology has a critical role in surfacing data - we can’t improve the health of our environment without first understanding the current state. The Lakes380 app spreads that understanding and delivers data to key decision makers.

“Significant efforts are required to restore our lakes,” says Dr Wood. “This is going to need support from many sectors and groups, for example the public, landowners, and regional and central government. We need new ways to engage these groups, and interactive apps such as the one UpShift created are a great example of this.”

Dr Marcus Vandergoes, co-programme leader from GNS Science says “UpShift understood what we were trying to achieve from the outset. They were super receptive to ideas, the process was very smooth and enjoyable, and they’ve delivered an amazingly fast and great-looking product.

“In the end, if we don’t have healthy fresh water – we don’t have a future. Anything that contributes to turning that around is unspeakably valuable.”

In the end, if we don’t have healthy fresh water – we don’t have a future. Anything that contributes to turning that around is unspeakably valuable.

Dr Marcus Vandergoes / Co-programme leader (GNS Science)

Interactive web app displaying NZ's lake health

Lakes380

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