How AI is helping to study tourist impact on seals

Source Domain: www.bbc.com

Application of Artificial Intelligence: Marine biologist Claire Stainfield is using AI to drastically reduce the time needed to process drone footage, aiding in the study of seal numbers at Newburgh beach in Aberdeenshire.
Research Scope and Purpose: Stainfield’s primary goal is to determine if rising tourist numbers impact the seal population, with a focus on the behavior of seals in response to human traffic on the beach.
Seal Colony Growth: The seal colony at Newburgh has significantly increased over the decades, with over 3,000 seals present at peak times, making the site an excellent subject for research.
Impact of Tourism on Seals: Stainfield’s research indicates that the minimal disturbance occurs when people stay to the south side of the beach, indicating tourists have a small impact on seals when they adhere to designated areas.
Use of Drones and AI: Drones are utilized to capture accurate counts of seals in remote and challenging areas, and AI speeds up the processing of this data from hours to seconds, potentially aiding broader ecological research.