Safe for Swimming Today? – Long Island Beach and Water Quality App

Keywords: Water quality, Long Island, Beaches, App
Session Type: Virtual Guided Poster Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 33

Abstract

Water quality information on Long Island comes from myriad sources, such as academia, government, and the private sector. This data provides key insight into the status of Long Island’s precious water resources but has never been spatially integrated for the public. Thus, we set out to create the “Long Island Beach and Water Quality App”, a mobile app geographically visualizing beach and water quality data by integrating various sources of information about water quality along Long Island's coastal areas. These sources include: Water Quality Index data from the Gobler Lab at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, shellfish closures by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and beach closings/openings by the Nassau, Suffolk, and New York State Departments of Health. We began by specifying information sources and user requirements. We then edited the data and created REST APIs in ArcGIS Online. Next, we developed the app using AppStudio for ArcGIS by Esri with Qt Modeling Language, creating designs and functions to leverage our data. This easily navigable app provides the latest water quality, shellfish, and beach conditions measured with varying criteria, making it useful for science-interested citizens, fishers, and swimmers alike. Future work will improve its functionality and include additional data, such as the location of harmful algal blooms, fish kills, or rip currents.