SafariSense
Animal Classification Model Orbitting Earth
2023 - Present
Project Overview
SafariSense is an innovative wildlife tracking model, built using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and object classification algorithms, designed to monitor the movements of over 6,000 species in Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Developed with datasets from IIT Bombay, the model has transformed wildlife conservation and tourism. It was deployed via a web app using JavaScript and Streamlit, making it accessible to park visitors, researchers, and conservationists alike. SafariSense was successfully tested using satellite imagery at IIT Madras in collaboration with AgniKul Cosmos, the creators of the world’s first 3D-printed rocket engine. The model reduced national park surveying time from 50 years to just a few months. With 97.83% accuracy, the model has significantly boosted park tourism, contributed to over 17,000 species already being tracked, and is projected to monitor all 92,000 species in India by 2026.
The Problem
India’s national parks are home to an immense diversity of flora and fauna, but manual methods of tracking animal movement and cataloguing species are outdated and time-consuming. For instance, traditional techniques could take decades to survey vast areas, delaying conservation efforts and making it difficult to assess the impacts of environmental changes. Furthermore, the lack of accessible information for tourists meant that many visitors to parks like Sanjay Gandhi National Park were unable to fully engage with the biodiversity around them. These issues highlighted the need for a solution that could dramatically improve both the accuracy and speed of wildlife monitoring while enhancing visitor experience.
The Solution
SafariSense was developed as a powerful solution to this problem, combining advanced machine learning with user-friendly technology. The model uses CNNs to track and classify species based on datasets from IIT Bombay and processes real-time data from satellite imagery, drastically reducing the time required for national park surveys. The web app interface allows tourists to easily identify species, while researchers benefit from a rich data source to study animal behavior. SafariSense’s success has led to its expansion beyond Sanjay Gandhi National Park to Jim Corbett and Gir Forest, helping conserve endangered species and fostering ecotourism in India's vast wildlife reserves.
