Google has released SpeciesNet as an open-source AI model. This means that anyone – including researchers, conservationists, or developers – can access, modify, and use the model for free. It helps identify animal species by analyzing photos taken from camera traps. These are cameras that capture images when movement is detected.
Actually, researchers use camera traps, which are digital cameras with infrared sensors, to automatically take photos when animals pass by. These cameras help scientists study wildlife without disturbing the animals.
However, the problem is that camera traps capture huge amounts of images – sometimes thousands or even millions. Sorting through these photos manually to identify animals can take days or even weeks, slowing down research and conservation efforts.
And this is where AI models like SpeciesNet come into play. These AI tools can solve the problem by automatically identifying animals in photos, saving time and making research more efficient.
In fact, SpeciesNet can recognize different animals in images much faster, making it useful especially for tracking species populations, studying animal behaviours and habitats, and understanding ecosystem changes. More importantly, since it’s open-source, people can improve it, adapt it for specific regions, or integrate it into new projects.
Speaking of availability, SpeciesNet is available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license, which means anyone can use it with proper credit while distributing modified versions.
According to Google, SpeciesNet was trained on over 65 million images, including publicly available ones and contributions from organizations such as the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and Zoological Society of London. Therefore, considering that extensive dataset, the tech titan claims that SpeciesNet can accurately recognize various animal species.
In terms of significance, a few years ago, Google launched Wildlife Insights as part of its Google Earth Outreach philanthropy program to support wildlife research. Wildlife Insights provides an online platform where researchers can share, identify, and analyze wildlife images. Interestingly, many of Wildlife Insights’ analysis tools are powered by SpeciesNet.
However, Google is not the only company offering open-source tools for analyzing camera trap images. Microsoft’s MegaDetector is a widely used AI model trained to detect animals, humans, and vehicles in wildlife photos. Mbaza AI is another open-source tool designed for rapid biodiversity monitoring, even without an internet connection. Additionally, platforms like AddaxAI and Wildlife Insights leverage AI to streamline species identification and data processing for researchers.
The development becomes eye-catching as the search giant is aggressively participating in ongoing AI races globally. Recently, Google launched a free version of its AI-powered coding tool called ‘Gemini Code Assist’ for individuals. In fact, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, plans to invest $75 billion in AI domain in 2025.
