AI-drone shark spotters in the sky could mean safer beaches
The fear of shark encounters has long inspired myths, media, and movies like JAWW, but new technology using AI and drones aims to reduce that fear by improving shark surveillance.
You could say it is a case of 'show me the way to go drone', as a cutting-edge project called SharkEye ( "like a doll's eye") has been developed by real life Matt Hoopers.
Marine biologists have been working alongside software engineers, and FAA-certified drone pilots at UC Santa Barbara’s Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory, using artificial intelligence to better understand and predict shark activity.
By deploying AI-powered drones to monitor shark movements from the air, SharkEye analyzes the behavior of great whites and provides insights into when it’s safer to hit the waves—and when it’s best to stay onshore.
“We have forecasts that tell us what weather is coming our way,” said Douglas McCauley, a professor of marine science at UC Santa Barbara.
“We want to forecast what kind of sharks might be coming our way to share the waves and the beach. We also get data on any given day of how many sharks are out there. We text that information to folks in the community, who can make good, safe decisions about how to share the waves with the sharks.”
It works by the SharkEye:drones flying on scheduled survey missions to record video footage of nearshore waters where sharks are commonly found. Learning models analyze the footage to automatically detect great white sharks.
Shark activity data is then shared with local public safety officials and the community, allowing beachgoers to make informed decisions , taking the just when you thought it was safe aspect out of going back in the water.
And then that collected data contributes to a growing database that helps scientists predict shark patterns and inform conservation efforts.
Currently, the program operates exclusively at Padaro Beach in Carpinteria, California, but if successful could mean greater safety and less beach closed by order Carpinteria PD signs.
This high-flying technology will help communities to make informed decisions, minimizing shark encounter risk, all while preserving the natural role sharks play in ocean ecosystems.
It's a fantastic example of how sharks and humans can safely co-exist, with beachgoers not needing a bigger boat as they’ll have a better eye in the sky.
Words by Dean Newman
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