Scottish Startups to Count African Elephants from Space
Michael Behr, Digit News
August 15, 2022
Glasgow-based startups EOLAS Insight and Omanos Analytics have joined a
project to help conservationists count African elephants from space.
Working alongside Peace Parks Foundation and supported by funding from the
European Space Agency, EOLAS Insight will use artificial intelligence and
high-resolution satellite imagery to detect the African elephants in a
national park in Southern Mozambique.
Meanwhile, Omanos Analytics will use its downstream satellite data analysis
and on-the-ground intelligence to improve transparency and reduce risk
around the social and environmental impacts of critical infrastructure
projects.
This approach could improve the monitoring of threatened elephant
populations across a wide range of habitats.
The data EOLAS helps to collect is also used to classify the animals’
habitats and identify potential risks such as the likelihood of wildfires.
As the technique does not depend on people on the ground, it can be used in
remote areas, supporting efforts such as countering poaching.
EOLAS Insight’s work is based on previous projects the firm conducted with
NatureScot as part of the CivTech Accelerator Programme in 2020, which used
similar techniques to monitor Scotland’s wild red deer.
This project combined imagery collected by satellite and light aircraft to
detect the animals. It is hoped that in future it will offer a greener and
cheaper alternative to helicopter-based counts.
EOLAS Managing Director Doug McNeil said: “Technology can play a key role
in tackling what is arguably the biggest challenge facing humankind –
conservation and the climate crisis. Detecting animals in satellite imagery
will have its place in preservation projects of the future, and we are
incredibly excited to be the first UK company to demonstrate this
capability.
“It was through the CivTech accelerator experience that we were able to
refine this process by working closely with NatureScot to develop the use
of satellite imagery to track animals.
“It’s exciting for us to continue to develop this on a larger scale and
work in new markets with proven technology. In the future through work with
the Geovation programme run by Registers of Scotland and Ordinance Survey,
we will create a web-based platform for allowing the user direct access to
our methodology algorithms.
“There are so many hugely powerful new technologies available for
environmental professionals and ecologists, however accessing these
technologies can be a job in itself. At EOLAS we want to take the
complexity out of technology and provide invaluable information to our
customers. Our hope is that we can help them in some small way in their
hugely important and timely work.”
https://www.digit.fyi/scottish-startups-to-count-african-elephants-from-space/