AI to the Rescue: 8 Animal Identifier Apps for Biodiversity Conservation

Reading Time: 5 mins

A small bird from the honeycreeper family, the Hawaiian po’ouli, was discovered in 1973. It went extinct in less than 50 years.

The po’ouli was declared extinct in 2018, one among nearly 700 extinct vertebrate species in the last five centuries. A 2019 United Nations report says that around 1 Million species are at risk of extinction. Human activities pose an unprecedented threat to animals and plants.

The extinction of the po’ouli demonstrates the difficulty conservationists face in their animal identification efforts. Despite their best efforts to locate and tag the dwindling population, scientists could not bring breeding pairs of po’ouli together.

Fortunately, technology now offers new hope for animal identification. AI and machine learning used to identify animals is helping environmentalists collect and analyze data more effectively, enabling them to make more timely and targeted interventions.

In this article, we will discuss how several computer vision applications are helping identify animals by pictures. We will also explore how Gramener is helping to protect endangered species by using AI solutions such as an automated computer vision-powered app to identify animals. We will also list some of the most popular animal identifier apps.

How Computer Vision is Helping in Animal Identification

Researchers must gather as much information as possible on animal populations to protect them. This involves identifying individual animals and counting species by setting camera traps triggered by the movement to shoot images.

Scientists go through thousands of these images manually to extract usable information. Unfortunately, the manual process is tedious, error-prone, and expensive. This has resulted in conservationists seeking AI solutions for animal identification.

Computer vision technology can find the animals in the pictures faster, more accurately, and cost-effectively, providing researchers with invaluable information.

Automated systems often power their algorithms using image annotation to identify and classify animals. Techniques such as point annotation enable training datasets to accurately depict the identifying details of individual animals, such as specific markings or facial features.

Gramener’s Computer Vision Solutions can Help with Animal Identification.

Gramener’s computer vision solutions are helping ESG leaders protect endangered species with animal identification. As a Microsoft ISV Gold Partner, we have partnered with it on its AI for Earth projects, helping with animal identification.

Our AI-powered animal identification solution has helped our clients:

• Tag images 99% faster
• Eliminate 100% manual data collection
• Achieve 100% data capture frequency
• Reduce cost by 20%
• Achieve 80% biomass detection accuracy

Identifying Endangered Salmon Species 5X Faster and 80% More Cost Effectively

The Nisqually Indian Tribe installed a video camera with infrared sensors to identify Salmon species in the Nisqually river. Every time a fish triggers the sensors, the camera records 30 seconds of the video manually audited to identify the species.

Unfortunately, this manual process is expensive, tedious, and error-prone. The Washington-based nature conservation organization, Nisqually River Foundation, wanted a technology-driven solution to automate this process.

Working closely with Microsoft, we trained deep-learning AI models to draw bounding boxes around each fish swimming by the camera. The entire video feed input, detection, and classification process were automated within a Web App.

Using the latest deep learning algorithms, Cognitive Services platform stack, and Microsoft Azure, our AI solution reduced turnaround time by 5X and potential cost savings by up to 80%.

Improving the Accuracy of Penguin Identification and Counting

To arrest the drastic rate at which the Penguin population in Antarctica is decreasing, environmental scientists are capturing millions of time-lapse images using camera traps, collecting invaluable data on Penguin colonies.

Gramener partnered with Microsoft to develop an AI model to automate the manual Penguin identification and counting process. Using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), we delivered an AI solution that vastly improved the overall accuracy of the process.

In addition to the above case studies, Gramener’s bleeding-edge computer vision technology is also helping protect elephants in Africa from poaching.

PODCAST ALERT: Listen to the Podcast and find out how we helped save Penguins in Antarctica with the help of AI.

Other Animal Identifier Apps for Conservation Organizations

In addition to Gramener’s industry-leading computer vision solutions for animal detection, the following are some popular apps to identify animals doing their bit to further the cause.

iNaturalist

One of the most widely used plant life and animal identifier apps worldwide, iNaturalist is a joint brainchild of the National Geographic Society and the California Academy of Sciences. The tool helps users identify animals and plants and network with millions of naturalists globally.

The recorded findings are shared with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and other scientific data repositories to help scientists research, protect, and understand nature.

This plant life and animal identifier app can help naturalists tabulate their observations, leverage a community of nature experts, foster scientific research, start or join a nature project, and even organize nature-themed events.

Animal Tracker

Miniature transmitters installed on animals enable scientists to locate them in real-time within a few meters. However, location and movement data cannot provide crucial animal behavioral data.

To remedy this, researchers at Icarus chose to leverage observations made by innumerable amateur animal enthusiasts worldwide, allowing them to participate actively in research projects.

Smartphone users can use the animal tracker app to follow the routes taken by wild animals anywhere in real-time. This animal identifier app allows users to upload their observations and photos that can be archived, managed, shared, and analyzed by hundreds of researchers.

Wild Me

Wild Me uses AI technology and citizen science for animal identification. Its open-source software framework tools provide the technical foundation, including computer vision, APIs, and database, to

• Use vocalizations, genetic identifiers, and natural markings for animal identification.
• Collect sighting information from social media and citizen scientists
• Build a distributed and collaborative research network for global and migratory species
• Collect social and behavioral data to study the wildlife population

Seek by iNaturalist

The Seek app by iNaturalist is family-friendly and allows group activities through nature exploration. Using the iNaturalist database comprising millions of wildlife observations, Seek enlists the most frequently sighted amphibians, plants, birds, and insects in the area.

To make the animal identification app more fun, Seek allows its users to earn a badge every time they make an observation. This gamification enables the users to have fun and enjoy nature exploration.

MyNature Animal Tracks

MyNature Animal Tracks enables its users to identify animal tracks using the following features:

• Database categorized by tracks, complete with shape and size illustrations for quick selection
• Complete descriptions of animal life cycles, trail widths, gait patterns, track measurements, and hind feet & forefeet illustrations
• Digital color images of actual tracks in the wild
• Photos of individual animals
• Common animal gait pattern illustrations
• Animal vocalization sound files
• Animal distribution range maps

The solution can work without an internet connection, has an In-built ruler, and offers tracking tips.

Wild Track

In 2020, Wild Track partnered with engineers from UC Berkeley to build an AI-driven footprint identification platform. To make footprint identification accurate and fast for conservation biologists, Wild Track designed a field tool in 2021.

It comprises a custom smartphone app that can collect data by air and ground. On-ground users can access data via this animal identification app to decipher field evidence.

This animal identifier app currently delivers >90% accuracy in species identification and is continuously expanding the range of species that it can identify.

WhatistheAnimal

This animal identification app uses AI to identify over a thousand different animal species. Its scanning and recognition process delivers results within seconds with a staggering 99% accuracy.

The app acts as a repository for useful animal information, is user-friendly, and comprises exciting animal facts.

The simple animal identification process involves uploading the animal’s photo to the app and letting the software recognize the species and deliver the answer.

Like the Seek app from iNaturalist, WhatistheAnimal app is family-friendly and can be used by adults and kids to explore nature together.

Conclusion

This article covered how AI and computer vision technology can help monitor and track endangered species. We also covered some of the leading animal identification apps that are helping scientists and amateur nature enthusiasts collect and share information to protect biodiversity.

Connect with us for more information about our AI-powered ESG solutions and how they can help you combat climate change and protect wildlife.