Towards A Feral Free Future

2. Big brother is watching - surveillance of invasive species using digital technology

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Episode notes

Smart phones, wireless cameras and drones are becoming part of everyday use for many, and in this episode you’ll hear from Dr Paul Meek, a Vertebrate Pest Research Scientist with NSW DPI who is using these devices to trial artificial intelligence and recognition algorithms which can identify pest animal species and alert nearby neighbours of the threat.

Imagine being alerted by text message if a wild dog or fox was walking by your fence line, and you could manage the threat, before something untoward happened. This could one day be a reality, if Dr Meeks vision becomes a reality.

You’ll then hear from Andrew Mitchell, a weeds specialist with the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions who is building an automated weed identification system. With many people in the community unsure of the weeds in their region and how to manage them, this product has the aim of supporting community weeds management programs across the country, by helping them ID plants while out in the field and then better understand how to manage the weed by linking them with the most relevant information.

Big brother may be watching, and it is bad news for invasive species!