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posted by martyb on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:06PM   Printer-friendly
from the peeking-at-pachyderms dept.

Elephants look tiny from space, but scientists figured out how to count them:

A team led by researchers with the University of Oxford and the University of Bath in the UK developed a method for counting African elephants using imagery from Maxar satellites, opening up a new way to monitor vulnerable and endangered animals.

[...] "For the first time, scientists have successfully used satellite cameras coupled with deep learning to count animals in complex geographical landscapes," said the University of Bath in a statement Tuesday.

The satellite images could offer an effective alternative to surveillance done by humans in aircraft, which can be an expensive and challenging way of counting elephants.

The space method has "comparable accuracy to human detection capabilities," according to a Maxar statement. Satellites can also easily cover a tremendous amount of ground.

[...] There are an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 African elephants left in the wild and they are listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The population is under pressure from habitat loss and poaching.

Journal Reference:
Isla Duporge, Olga Isupova, Steven Reece, et al. ZSL Publications [open], Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (DOI: 10.1002/rse2.195)


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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by krishnoid on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:12PM

    by krishnoid (1156) on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:12PM (#1103062)

    There are already many multidisciplinary approaches [kettering.edu] to doing this.

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:31PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:31PM (#1103072)

    You want BETTER THAN REALISM?

    How about an elephant with blue eyes? [youtube.com]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:52PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 20 2021, @08:52PM (#1103081)

      Then you discover, "Programming Love" [archive.org].

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 20 2021, @09:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 20 2021, @09:31PM (#1103091)

    Shoulda just nuke'em n fohget'em.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 21 2021, @06:27AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 21 2021, @06:27AM (#1103291)

    Elephants Look Tiny from Space

    Also when you gaze at them through the wrong end of the binoculars.

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 21 2021, @09:13AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 21 2021, @09:13AM (#1103315)

    Deze nuts look Tiny -- until you up real close and they banging into ur chin with my beast in your tonsils.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 21 2021, @07:12PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 21 2021, @07:12PM (#1103446)

    You’ll be able to count them on your fingers, with luck you’ll need your toes too

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