SFU researchers get funding boost to forecast whale movements using AI

Researchers from Simon Fraser University have secured nearly $1 million in funding from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada to develop an AI-powered system, HALLO, to forecast the movements of Southern Resident killer whales in British Columbia’s Salish Sea.
HALLO aims to assist the Port of Vancouver and vessel pilots by providing real-time data on whale locations and forecasting their future movements, enabling dynamic slowdowns to mitigate noise pollution as ships navigate through critical whale habitats.
The system uses real-time acoustic and visual data along with vessel tracking and citizen reports to track current and predict future whale locations in the heavily trafficked waterways shared with commercial and recreational vessels.
The project seeks to determine if real-time detection matched with movement forecasting can lead to timely ship slowdowns in areas where whales are present, potentially reducing the need for static, less efficient slowdown practices.
The broader application of HALLO’s technology includes informing port expansions, pile-driving projects, and other noisy coastal developments, and has possible applications to protect other whale species like the North Atlantic right whale from entanglements and strikes.

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