AI-processed acoustic data reveals and documents animal activities, enhancing cultural appreciation
Scientists in Hawaii are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to study and preserve the island's native bird species. Patrick Hart, a professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo's Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems (LOHE Lab), is at the forefront of this groundbreaking initiative.
Hart's work involves deploying tiny, palm-sized acoustic recorders throughout forests across the state. These devices capture bird songs and calls continuously for several months, providing a vast database of audio recordings. In collaboration with Google's Bioacoustics Research Group, the LOHE Lab has developed AI algorithms that can analyze these recordings, detecting each bird species' sounds with high accuracy.
This AI-driven approach overcomes the limitations of manual data analysis, revolutionizing the monitoring of bird populations. The AI system quickly and accurately identifies bird species presence, abundance, and changes over space and time from soundscape data, providing detailed information unattainable through traditional methods.
The system is particularly beneficial for endangered species management, enabling the tracking of juvenile bird calls and monitoring occupancy patterns. This information is crucial for understanding how native bird species respond to threats like habitat loss, disease, climate change, and land management practices.
Beyond birds, the AI technology is also advancing the study of Hawaii's animal communities across land and sea. The LOHE Lab has begun renting these recorders to about 20 groups working on various animal species, including whales, dolphins, bats, and coqui frogs.
In Hawaii, birds hold ecological and cultural importance, making their preservation a top priority for both Hart and local groups like Ahuimanu. Comprising about 10 bird enthusiasts, Ahuimanu perpetuates knowledge of native birds through traditional Hawaiian chants, or oli. Led by cultural practitioner and kumu Kekuhi Kanahele Keali'ikanaka'ole, Ahuimanu members share their cultural and scientific knowledge about native bird species, which Keali'ikanaka'ole helped transform into oli.
"We're using an ancient format of communication in a new way to address our modern conservation problems," Hart said. The collaboration between Ahuimanu and the LOHE Lab connects the public and group participants to birds in a unique way and has been positively received during performances at events like the Merrie Monarch Festival.
The AI technology's impact extends to their work in other fields. For instance, the Oahu Invasive Species Committee, a research program that targets and responds to high-priority invasive species, is using the data collected by the recorders to inform treatment methods for species like Oahu's coqui frogs.
This innovative approach could pave the way for future research methods, seeing sound as a "passive way to get data about animals." According to Hart, it is an effortless, cost-effective means of archiving valuable information about wildlife that could be stored permanently.
The collaboration between Patrick Hart and Google's Bioacoustics Research Group is transforming the way scientists study and conserve Hawaii's native bird species. By integrating AI with bioacoustic monitoring, they are providing real-time monitoring, tracking movement, and helping conservationists understand the effects of various threats on these fragile ecosystems.
- The collaboration between Patrick Hart and Google's Bioacoustics Research Group, through the use of AI and data-and-cloud-computing, is revolutionizing the field of environmental-science, particularly in the study and preservation of native bird species in Hawaii.
- The AI technology, developed by the LOHE Lab in collaboration with Google's Bioacoustics Research Group, is not only advancing the study of Hawaii's native bird species but also expanding into the analysis of data from various animal communities, including whales, dolphins, bats, and coqui frogs, thereby impacting multiple areas of science and technology.
