USA-Based Tech Journal, MIT Technology Review, Features C’garh AI Elephant Alert project
-Raipur: The technology-based elephant warning project, designed by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department to prevent human-wildlife conflict in forest areas in the state, was featured in the USA’s respected science magazine MIT Technology Review.
Varun Kumar Jain, deputy director of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Chhattisgarh, told this newspaper on Friday that the high-tech project, which includes infrared drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered mobile application, helps share real-time information on the movements of elephants during the night with local foresters and forest dwellers to prevent human-elephant conflict.
The June issue of the magazine, which draws attention to technological innovations around the world, included an article titled “Elephant warning! Artificial intelligence warning systems aim to prevent conflicts.”
Generally, in places where elephants tend to roam, warnings from ground patrols can sometimes take hours to reach human settlements in buffer zones and fringe areas of forests, often resulting in loss of human life and property.
According to the forest official, under the elephant warning project, thermal drones equipped with infrared sensors are being deployed to detect elephant movements during the night in dense forest areas where conventional land patrol is difficult.
Once detected, trained drone operators transmit the information through the “Artificial Intelligence Elephant Application”, which sends instant alerts to forest personnel and residents within a five to ten kilometer radius via text message, phone call and WhatsApp, ensuring timely action and reducing the risk of human-elephant conflict.
The innovative project places Chhattisgarh among the leading regions demonstrating how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, drones and digital communications can be effectively integrated into wildlife conservation and public safety, the forest official said.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai welcomed the project’s global spotlight and said: “The international recognition strengthens our resolve to leverage advanced technologies for wildlife conservation and human security. Chhattisgarh will continue to pioneer community-centric solutions for coexistence between people and wildlife.”
