Application of unmanned aerial systems and artificial intelligence technology to assess the population of Baikal seals
https://doi.org/10.36038/2307-3497-2025-201-33-47
EDN: DJSGVX
Abstract
The aim of the research is to develop the methodology for assessment the Baikal seal based on direct counting of animals on ice using unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
Materials were the data of aerial survey obtained in 2019 and 2021 and the manuscript published in the open press “Methodological recommendations for conducting a census of the Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica) offspring using unmanned aerial vehicles in the Baikal fishery basin.
Novelty – the method for assessment the Baikal seals based on direct counting of animals on ice using several UAS simultaneously is proposed. Processing of an array of high-resolution digital photographs was automated through the use of software packages that use computer vision based on neural network technologies of artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize various types of images, including marine mammals.
Result: The methodology for assessment the Baikal seals based on direct counting of animals on ice using UAS has been developed and tested, including calculations of the species’ numbers using the separate extrapolation method. The methodology was tested using materials from aerial surveys in 2019 and 2021 – as a result, estimates of the number of Baikal seals on ice were obtained: 106,486 specimens and 107,723 specimens, respectively.
Practical significance: the proposed method of direct census of animals on ice has been developed with the aim of increasing the accuracy and reliability of final estimates of the population size and developing recommendations for its conservation and rational use.
About the Authors
L. K. Sidorov
Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography («VNIRO»)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
19, Okruzhnoy proezd, Moscow, 105187
V. A. Bizikov
Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography («VNIRO»)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
19, Okruzhnoy proezd, Moscow, 105187
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Review
For citations:
Sidorov L.K., Bizikov V.A. Application of unmanned aerial systems and artificial intelligence technology to assess the population of Baikal seals. Trudy VNIRO. 2025;201:33-47. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.36038/2307-3497-2025-201-33-47. EDN: DJSGVX
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