Saving animals from space

DR OLGA ISUPOVA, CREATOR OF THE ELEPHANT-TRACKING AI, TELLS US HOW THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD BE USED IN THE FUTURE

CAN THE AI BE APPLIED TO DIFFERENT SPECIES?

Yes. We are currently looking to get a hold of data to test the same approach on rhinos. The main question here would be the size of the animals and their habitats. We can’t see through clouds, obviously, but also we can’t see through forested areas. Therefore we can’t look for animals that are in dense forest. If they’re in open areas, then it’s just a question of their size.

IS THE AI COMPLETELY LIMITED BY ANIMAL SIZE, OR COULD IT POTENTIALLY BE ADAPTED TO SPOT SMALLER SPECIES?

It depends on the resolution of the satellite, and it also depends on the machine learning algorithm performance. We are currently looking at how we can improve the algorithm itself to look specifically for smaller objects. We could also look for those animals who appear in herds. For example, with penguin colonies, the model can detect the whole colony and then have an additional algorithm that approximates the count based on the size of the colony. Also, you can look for the footprints of the animals. The animal itself can be quite small, but if there are many of them and they leave lots of footprints after them, we can also try to track that.

“IF THEY’RE IN OPEN AREAS, IT’S JUST A QUESTION OF THEIR SIZE”