A new survey method is invented to count wild species. African elephants are the first animals to be successfully counted from space while moving through a complicated landscape that range from open grasses to forests.
Typically, conservationists do this from low-flying planes in order to count and monitor African elephants, a method that takes many hours. With the new technique that combines satellite imagery with artificial intelligence, up to 3,100 square miles can be surveyed on a single blue-sky day in minutes. Then, the deep-learning computer analyzes those images and pick out individual elephants.
The new technique is a key part of ensuring the survival of the endangered species. Due to illegal hunting and habitat destruction, just 415,000 African elephants are living in the wild. "Accurate monitoring is essential if we're to save the species," said Olga Isupova, a computer scientist at the University of Bath in theUK. "We need to know where the animals are and how many there are."
What really makes this study stand apart from other satellite-tracking projects is how successful the computer program is at picking out the elephants from their complex backgrounds, including grasslands and partially tree-covered landscapes. Satellite imagery is also a much more efficient survey method than the current flyover surveys carried out, which is faster and avoids double-counting the same elephants. The remote survey also reduces the impact researchers have on the animals and allows them to count individuals moving between countries.
"Although this is a proof of concept, it's ready to go," said professor Duporge, a zoologist at the Oxford University. "And conservation organizations are already interested in using this to replace surveys using aircraft. As satellite imaging improves, other smaller species may soon be able to be counted in greater detail from space too. "
