Amrabad Tiger Reserve to get AI-powered electronic eyes for surveillance
Hyderabad: The Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) is all set to get some never tiring eyes with the approval for an artificial intelligence-based surveillance system that can identify – from live video feed – at least 20 species of animals, along with their accurate location.
The project, when launched, will enable ATR’s officials to keep a round-the-clock watch on the goings on with respect to movement of people in the forest, identifying unauthorized people entering the tiger reserve illegally and surveillance at vulnerable locations in the forest.
The project will be executed with assistance from the information technology department of the state government, which had previously launched a grant challenge for start-ups to find practical and feasible solutions to problem statements provided by tiger reserve officials.
“The issue was that the forest officials have enormous data in pictures from camera traps and sorting through this manually takes a lot of time and effort. And this data is accessed after the event. What the proposed project will do is to use the learning from the data that was provided in the challenge and use the technology developed for real time sorting through live video feeds and send instant alerts to the tiger reserve officials,” L .Rama Devi, director for emerging technologies and officer on special duty in the IT department, told Deccan Chronicle.
Rohit Gopidi, the Achampet division head for the tiger reserve, said the surveillance cameras will be mounted on tall towers and can provide 360 degree views in real time.
“It is not just for surveillance. Once in place, it can also help us record animal behaviour and all the information will come to one place, the command control centre. The real time information can also help us identify fires in the forest early and help us in reducing our response time to fire-fighting operations,” he said.
To start with, there will be four such automated camera systems that can transmit data on their own without having to rely on the internet, which is not accessible in most of the tiger reserve.
Gopidi said that initially, four systems will be installed at the main entrance of the tiger safari in the reserve at Farhabad Gate; at the Farhabad viewpoint, which provides views of vast areas of the reserve from a high point, and at two water bodies deep in the reserve, Jeelgaikunta and Pichakuntla Cheruvu, which are frequented by almost all wild animals, including tigers and leopards, he said.
