FUTURES
We explore the trends and technologies that are set to shape the future
Facial recognition is problematic for humans. When it works, it invades privacy and eases us into a surveillance state. When it doesn’t work, people have been falsely arrested by police. But that’s people. For bears, it’s all good – and facial recognition is now being used to help research, monitor and protect the animals using a neural network-based system called BearID.
Melanie Clapham tracks grizzlies. Normally, that requires methodically examining photographs or physically tagging the animal, as the University of Victoria researcher’s work on grizzly behaviour requires being able to pinpoint a specific individual.
But that’s not easy because bears have few distinctive markings – they’re all brown and fluffy – and can dramatically change appearance from one season to the next. “They moult their coats in the summertime,” said Clapham. “And in the autumn, before they go into hibernation, they can put on a third of their body weight.”
If individual bears are watched closely, it’s possible to track them through such changes. However, that becomes more difficult when you’re monitoring many bears over a wide area or not seeing the same bear frequently enough. “If you’re not observing them constantly, it can be
