The company **Microsoft** has recently introduced **SPARROW**, an innovative tool that uses Artificial Intelligence to search, quantify, and protect the **biodiversity of the planet**, allowing access to even the most remote locations.
The biodiversity of the planet is rapidly decreasing, reaching a **critical point** where it is essential to use all available tools to preserve what remains. In this context, Microsoft has developed SPARROW (Solar-Powered Acoustic and Remote Recording Observation Watch), a project from Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab.
Advanced Technology to protect the biodiversity of the planet
SPARROW is an Edge Computing solution, powered by AI, designed to operate autonomously in the **most remote corners of the planet**.
Powered by solar energy and equipped with advanced sensors, it collects data on biodiversity from **camera traps**, acoustic sensors, and other environmental detectors. This data is processed using AI models for fauna based on PyTorch, operating on GPUs with **low energy consumption**.
The resulting information is transmitted through **low Earth orbit satellites** directly to the cloud, providing access to real-time and actionable data.
SPARROW is comparable to a network of terrestrial satellites that observe and report on the **health of ecosystems** without disturbing them. Thanks to solar energy, these devices can operate for long periods, minimizing their **environmental impact**.
Biodiversity in crisis
In the last fifty years, we have seen a worrying decline in biodiversity on our planet. According to the WWF’s Living Planet Report, populations of **vertebrate species** monitored have declined by an average of almost 70% since 1970. Despite this crisis, there are stories of hope and collaboration, such as the recovery of the southern white rhinoceros, the Iberian lynx, and the mountain gorilla.
Understanding whether conservation efforts are achieving the desired impact is crucial. For decades, researchers have used technology such as camera traps and acoustic sensors to collect data on wildlife populations and the **health of ecosystems**.
Microsoft’s Initiatives and Collaborations
Initiatives like MegaDetector and PyTorch Wildlife have provided advanced AI models to quickly analyze large amounts of data. More than 18,000 researchers and organizations rely on these tools to monitor **species and natural environments**.
Microsoft’s latest project, codenamed **Guacamaya**, has been implemented in collaboration with the Humboldt Institute and the SINCHI Institute in the Amazon.
Many biodiversity projects rely on camera traps and sensor networks that must be physically retrieved from remote and hard-to-reach locations. These environments are precisely where real-time information is most needed to better understand ecosystems at risk.
SPARROW: Biodiversity Surveillance
SPARROW redefines how biodiversity data is collected, transmitting it from **isolated regions of the planet** directly to the cloud. Its commitment to open source allows research teams, NGOs, and collaborators to build, deploy, and adapt their own SPARROW devices.
Over the next three months, several SPARROW devices will be deployed in rural areas of North and South America, including Colombia. By the end of 2025, the goal is to have operational SPARROW devices on every continent, serving as key nodes in the **global conservation network**.
The next phase of **biodiversity protection** demands innovation and cooperation on a global scale. With SPARROW, researchers aim to measure our world more accurately, intervene more effectively, and ultimately preserve biodiversity for future generations.
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