Telangana's AI-based technlogy for camera trap images may help stem poaching

HYDERABAD: In a first in the country, the Telangana government's emerging technologies wing has launched an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) intervention that may help prevent poaching as well as spur tourism. Called DeCaTron, it can automatically process millions of forest trap camera images in real time and identify animal movements.
The AI-based Forest Biodiversity Conservation Platform is currently being implemented as a pilot project in Amrabad Tiger Reserve and Kawal Tiger Reserve. It has successfully processed four million camera trap images in one week recently, officials said. The forest department has identified 20 species whose camera images should be captured. Tigers are not currently included on this list.
Rama Devi Lanka, director of emerging technologies at Telangana's IT department, told TOI, "We have been focussing on AI since 2020. When we interacted with forest department officials about their needs for AI intervention, it was identified that processing millions of camera trap images is difficult. So, we invited a start-up challenge and identified a company to do the task."
AI to auto process trap images based on animal species
AI can aid in fine-grained classification of species without the need for officials to visit the forest. DeCaTron automatically classifies and catalogs camera trap images based on animal species.
AI can aid in fine-grained classification of species without the need for officials to visit the forest. DeCaTron automatically classifies and catalogs camera trap images based on animal species.