/PRNewswire/ — Huawei and its partners today announced the preliminary results of a revolutionary AI-powered solution to study and protect Chinese white dolphins in Xiamen Bay, China.
The project, launched as part of the Huawei TECH4ALL initiative three months ago, has so far:
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- He identified 13 individuals of dolphins based on 2820 images and videos.
- It achieved an individual identification accuracy rate of over 90% and a complex behavior recognition rate of 85%.
- Improved data tagging efficiency by 400%.
- Increased the reaction time of law enforcement on ships that speed or trespass into protected areas by 65%.
“The data-driven insights provided by AI help conservationists formulate targeted conservation measures to understand and respond to the threats facing this iconic dolphin species. Only then can they ensure they survive and thrive in the wild,” said Cui Yangyang, Director of Huawei’s TECH4ALL Program Office.
Chinese white dolphins are a nationally protected species classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The main threats in Xiamen Bay, which is home to 51% of China’s dolphin population, include shipping, fishing and coastal engineering projects.
Their long-term survival is threatened by noise, pollution, entanglement in fishing nets and habitat loss.
In collaboration with the Third Institute of Oceanography under China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and China Mobile, the project includes a character recognition system that can identify specific animals based on unique dorsal fins.
“With the introduction of AI, surveys are now more efficient and conservation efforts more accurate,” said Wang Xianyan, head of the Endangered Marine Species Research and Conservation Team at the Third Institute of Oceanography under China’s Ministry of Natural Resources. “Data on the survival of individuals, their reproductive dynamics and social interactions, which is provided by the recognition system with AI, forms the basis for the development of protective measures.”
The solution provides pre-processed image, AI-powered inference and recognition, dorsal fin image extraction, data classification and cloud visualization. Each dolphin has its own file, which allows scientists to monitor the condition of individuals. Long-term data, which is key to creating conservation measures, allows researchers to track the numbers, distribution, age structure and reproduction of dolphins, as well as the threats they face.
Previous manual monitoring was time-consuming and could not provide reliable knowledge necessary for monitoring population dynamics and developing targeted protection measures.
According to the Third Institute of Oceanography, the next 10 to 15 years will be critical for population growth. The Chinese white dolphin is vital to coastal marine ecosystems and the ocean’s role as a carbon sink. They feed on fish that eat plankton. Plankton absorbs CO2 and sequesters carbon through photosynthesis. Protecting dolphin populations and the integrity of the ocean ecosystem indirectly participates in the carbon cycle through the food chain and is therefore crucial in addressing climate change.
In addition to AI-powered analytics, the 5G-A network composed of 10 bases covers 330 square kilometers of the bay area, achieving seamless coverage of key protected zones.
Thanks to the integrated sensor and communication capabilities of the 5G-A network and the combination of data from radar, visual terminals, satellites and Automatic Identification System (AIS) for determining the position of ships, it is possible to track the movement of vessels in real time within a radius of 20 kilometers. The AI-powered system sends alerts for violations such as border crossing or speeding within seconds, and law enforcement officials can verify the violation through shore monitoring and promptly locate offending vessels.
So far, 12 vessels have been investigated for possible threats to dolphins.
Thanks to ongoing research efforts along with the application of AI, the secret lives of China’s white dolphin population in Xiamen Bay are gradually being revealed, giving hope for their future survival.
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