Official Canada Blog
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AI protecting our endangered orca whales in the Salish Sea
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
The Salish Sea, which extends from British Columbia to Washington State in the U.S., was once home to hundreds of killer whales, also known as orcas. Now, the population of Southern Resident Killer Whales, a subgroup of orcas, is struggling to survive—there are only
73 of them left
. Building on our work using
AI for Social Good
, we’re partnering with
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(DFO) to apply machine learning to protect killer whales in the Salish Sea.
According to DFO, which monitors and protects this endangered population of orcas, the greatest threats to the animals are scarcity of prey (particularly Chinook salmon, their favorite meal), contaminants, and disturbance caused by human activity and passing vessels.
Teaming up with DFO and
Rainforest Connection
, we used deep neural networks to track, monitor and observe the orcas’ behavior in the Salish Sea, and send alerts to Canadian authorities. With this information, marine mammal managers can monitor and treat whales that are injured, sick or distressed. In case of an oil spill, the detection system can allow experts to locate the animals and use specialized equipment to alter the direction of travel of the orcas to prevent exposure.
To teach a machine learning model to recognize orca sounds, DFO provided 1,800 hours of underwater audio and 68,000 labels that identified the origin of the sound. The model is used to analyze live sounds that DFO monitors across 12 locations within the Southern Resident Killer Whales’ habitat. When the model hears a noise that indicates the presence of a killer whale, it’s displayed on the Rainforest Connection (a grantee of the
Google AI Impact Challenge
) web interface, and live alerts on their location are provided to DFO and key partners through an app that Rainforest Connection developed.
Video of orca model in action -
https://youtu.be/N99Yu-XbpoI
Legend: A demo video of the Rainforest Connection web interface running Google's orca detection model.
Our next steps on this project include distinguishing between the three sub-populations of orcas—Southern Resident Killer Whales, Northern Resident Killer Whales and Biggs Killer Whales—so that we can better monitor their health and protect them in real time. We hope that advances in bioacoustics technology using AI can make a difference in animal conservation.
Posted by Julie Cattiau, Product Manager, Google AI
Giving back locally in 2019: Increasing digital skills in the Greater Toronto Area
Monday, January 6, 2020
Digital literacy is an essential skill for Canada’s future workforce. Today, a solid foundation in digital skills is critical to succeed in almost every facet of the economy. Which is why Google is committed to supporting our local communities build the skills they need to thrive and grow. Over the past year, we’ve been to 11 different communities, hosting a number of workshops around digital training. We’ve had the opportunity to work with many local organizations to train over 4,000 Canadian learners.
We’re proud to continue working with organizations dedicated to increasing the digital skills of Torontonians. This year we’ll be supporting three local organizations and, over the next year, these organizations will increase the digital capabilities and confidence of our community.
1)
VentureKids
VentureKids has a mission to accelerate access to in-demand technical skills for youth in underserved areas, and provide them the skills they need to compete in the ever-changing economy.
Our funding is supporting 300 youth in the VentureStartup program - a nine-week course aimed at youth ages 14-19 to develop their product building, financial literacy, front-end development (CSS, HTML, Javascript) and growth hacking skills. Through this program, students will learn how to identify a problem or gap in their neighbourhood and work to create a technology-focused solution to help their community.
2)
ACCES Employment
ACCES Employment assists job seekers from diverse backgrounds, who are facing barriers to employment, to integrate into the Canadian job market. They provide employment services linking employers to skilled people, while building strong collaborative networks with community partners across the city, province and country.
We’re supporting an enhanced training program that will help youth (ages 16-29) find employment. This program allows 40 youth to complete technology training and provide them with opportunities to connect to employers. At the end of the program, these young people in Toronto will have the technical skills needed to secure entry-level STEM roles.
3)
Parkdale Centre for Innovation
Parkdale Centre for Innovation is a not-for-profit incubator and community hub that supports entrepreneurs to start and grow their business, and professionals to reach their fullest potential, with a focus on inclusion and equity.
Google is helping to fund Parkdale Centre’s Pre-Seed Entrepreneurship Program. The 8-week program offers 60 professionals and entrepreneurs the opportunity to build a roadmap for their project, business, or startup, and will help to provide access to Parkdale member benefits, including program participation, advising, mentorship and networking. At the end of the program, successful participants will be invited to Parkdale Centre's Startup Accelerator, to scale their projects through a network of advisors, partners, and investors.
Giving back locally enables Google to support all of these outstanding organizations, as well as a range of other initiatives including The Boys and Girls Club of Canada, Let’s Talk Science, Pathways to Education and more. Many diverse community organizations help improve the lives of Canadians in unique ways, and Google is proud to contribute to the valuable work being done locally, where we work and live.
Posted by Sabrina Geremia, VP, Country Manager, Google Canada
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