Posted on Nov 2, 2023
Enhance! HORNK! Artificial intelligence can now ID individual geese
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https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/ [login to see] /enhance-hornk-artificial-intelligence-can-now-id-individual-geese
A few years ago, Sonia Kleindorfer was interviewing to become the director of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition in Vienna, Austria.
"My predecessor was telling me this story," she says. Konrad Lorenz was a famous Austrian biologist who spent much of his career studying the behavior of local Greylag Geese. Famously, his students presented him with a plaque that had 30 goose faces on it.
"He went on to correctly name each goose," she said. "He made one error, and that was two sisters."
A few years ago, Sonia Kleindorfer was interviewing to become the director of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition in Vienna, Austria.
"My predecessor was telling me this story," she says. Konrad Lorenz was a famous Austrian biologist who spent much of his career studying the behavior of local Greylag Geese. Famously, his students presented him with a plaque that had 30 goose faces on it.
"He went on to correctly name each goose," she said. "He made one error, and that was two sisters."
Enhance! HORNK! Artificial intelligence can now ID individual geese
Posted from npr.org
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Wildlife
Research
Vienna
Posted 6 mo ago
Responses: 3
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
The Alan Parsons Project - Breakdown
Track 4 off of Alan Parsons Project "I Robot" album
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."AI for conservation
"One thing that's really exciting about this is that it's AI being used for good," says Krista Ingram, a biologist at Colgate University in New York.
Ingram has developed SealNet, an AI tool that can tell harbor seals apart. Before SealNet she says, the only way to identify individual seals was by tagging them, but that was difficult. The best way to do it was to try and shoot them with tracking darts.
"It's very time consuming, costly and to be honest it stresses them out," she says.
SealNet can ID seals with high accuracy using just a photo. It's easier, faster, and better for the seals and the scientists.
Both Ingram and Kleindorfer think that facial recognition is going to play a really important role in conservation and ecology. Researchers will be able to tell how many individuals are in a population, they'll see who's hanging with whom.
"I do think it's the wave of the future," Ingram says, though she notes that field biologists struggle to compete financially with Silicon Valley for the researchers who truly understand how to build AI systems.
"We need more computer scientists trained in behavioral ecology and we need more conservation scientists trained in computer science," she says. "But working together, I think we can do this."
And citizen scientists could be part of it too. Sonia Kleindorfer hopes birdwatchers will someday be able to snap a picture of a goose, ID it, and share its location with scientists.
But she adds, just remember, her new research suggests that birdwatching goes both ways: Geese can remember faces too.
"If you are ever not kind to a goose," she warns, "woe to you the rest of your life, it shall not be a happy one, if that goose finds you again."
..."AI for conservation
"One thing that's really exciting about this is that it's AI being used for good," says Krista Ingram, a biologist at Colgate University in New York.
Ingram has developed SealNet, an AI tool that can tell harbor seals apart. Before SealNet she says, the only way to identify individual seals was by tagging them, but that was difficult. The best way to do it was to try and shoot them with tracking darts.
"It's very time consuming, costly and to be honest it stresses them out," she says.
SealNet can ID seals with high accuracy using just a photo. It's easier, faster, and better for the seals and the scientists.
Both Ingram and Kleindorfer think that facial recognition is going to play a really important role in conservation and ecology. Researchers will be able to tell how many individuals are in a population, they'll see who's hanging with whom.
"I do think it's the wave of the future," Ingram says, though she notes that field biologists struggle to compete financially with Silicon Valley for the researchers who truly understand how to build AI systems.
"We need more computer scientists trained in behavioral ecology and we need more conservation scientists trained in computer science," she says. "But working together, I think we can do this."
And citizen scientists could be part of it too. Sonia Kleindorfer hopes birdwatchers will someday be able to snap a picture of a goose, ID it, and share its location with scientists.
But she adds, just remember, her new research suggests that birdwatching goes both ways: Geese can remember faces too.
"If you are ever not kind to a goose," she warns, "woe to you the rest of your life, it shall not be a happy one, if that goose finds you again."
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Well sure! Why not. Geese deserve to be individuals too.<smile> Here come da' geese!
Thanks for the good article. I suppose something similar could be accomplished with other birds, and other critters, too.
Geese are fascinating birds, imo. The old grey goose type has long been a favorite.
They have been used in place of guard dogs in times past. They create drama? Lol. Apparently, when they are angry and loud!
Grandma's goose did not like to be teased, and never forgot a face. as some of the grandkids painfully learned.
Well sure! Why not. Geese deserve to be individuals too.<smile> Here come da' geese!
Thanks for the good article. I suppose something similar could be accomplished with other birds, and other critters, too.
Geese are fascinating birds, imo. The old grey goose type has long been a favorite.
They have been used in place of guard dogs in times past. They create drama? Lol. Apparently, when they are angry and loud!
Grandma's goose did not like to be teased, and never forgot a face. as some of the grandkids painfully learned.
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