Official Launch of the ALGA ID Application at AlgaEurope 2025 in Riga, Latvia

Yesterday, on December 9th, 2025, the mobile applicationALGA ID was finally launched, after 12 months of development carried out by BYDAS. The presentation took place in Riga, during the most important algae-related event in Europe and one of the most significant worldwide – AlgaEurope 2025.

BYDAS, represented by its Managing Director, Luis Cordeiro, and supported by the EABA team, introduced the "application that identifies algae" to an audience of industry and academic experts, who reacted very positively to its value proposition: the identification of micro and macro algae using a computer vision algorithm powered by artificial intelligence to analyse photographic patterns at a granular level. Through widespread use of the application, this process will enable exponential growth of the photographic archive (dataset), allowing a machine learning system to run periodic training sessions to improve the efficiency of the AI algorithm. This probabilistic enrichment cycle is the “soul” of the application and what sets it apart from other solutions in the market.

However, the value proposition goes far beyond being an app for algae enthusiasts. There is an even greater purpose: to create the largest European algae photography database for scientific research, thereby supporting the mission of the promoting organisation, the EABA (European Algae Biomass Association), whose intentions are not purely commercial but centred on developing resources that benefit its members.

Regarding the development of the App, the project was led by Leonardo Lodi from BYDAS, who created the entire cloud architecture and the iOS and Android application using React Native. The administrative side of the application was built using the agency’s proprietary software, which enables management of all backoffice processes (users, transactions, photographic contributions, etc.).

This application involved a high degree of complexity, as it uses several asynchronous processes (such as training routines) and relies on resources which, although well documented, are very recent and have few real-world examples to follow — requiring careful risk management.

The application was developed entirely in-house, including branding, acquisition of photographic training resources, interface design, functional design, administrative backoffice, and more.

Below are some of the key slides from the presentation: