BBC R&D collaborated with the BBC Natural History Unit to test systems using AI technologies to help monitor some of the remote wildlife cameras
By Jenny Priestley
Published: June 29, 2020
BBC R&D collaborated with the BBC Natural History Unit to test systems using AI technologies to help monitor some of the remote wildlife cameras
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> BBC R&D collaborated with the BBC Natural History Unit to test systems using AI technologies to help monitor some of the remote wildlife cameras
https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/how-bbc-rd-artificial-intelligence-to-watch-springwatchs-cameras title=Share via Email class=share-email>
During this year's Springwatch, the BBC R&D team used artificial intelligence to monitor the remote cameras used to film the show's wildlife stars.
The R&D team applied a an object recognition system to the video captured by the Springwatch cameras. It is designed to detect and locate animals in the scene, which was based on the YOLO neural network that runs on the Darknet open-source machine learning framework.
The team trained a network to recognise both birds and mammals, which can run at just fast enough to find and then track animals in real-time on live video. The data generated by this tool meant the team was confident that an animal, rather than some other moving object, is present in the scene. Using this machine learning approach, the R&D team were able to move from knowing something has happened in the scene' to an animal has done something in the scene'.
In a blog post, the R&D team said combining the motion and animal detection tools allows them to detect events' in the video where animals enter or move around the scene. We store the data related to the timing and content of the events, and we use this as the basis for a timeline that we provide to members of the production team, said Robert Dawes, senior research engineer, BBC R&D.
The production team can then use this timeline to navigate through the activity on a particular camera's video. We also provide clipped up videos of the event, one a small preview to allow for easy reviewing of the content and a second recorded at original quality with a few seconds extra video either side of the activity. This can be immediately downloaded as a video to be viewed, shared and imported into an editing package, added Dawes.
Images are also extracted from the video to represent the animals that have been detected in the event and presented to the user. The images are also passed onto to a second machine learning system which attempts to classify the animal's species. The image classification system uses a convolutional neural network (CNN), specifically the Inception V3 model. If the system is confident of an animal's species, then it will label the photograph and also add the label to the user interface. Adding this extra layer of information is intended to make it easier for a user to find the videos they're looking for particularly if one camera could have picked up multiple different species, said Dawes.
The R&D team said they are working on making the system more intelligent so that it can provide more useful information about the clips it makes. It intends to test the system again by for Autumnwatch later this year.
You can read the full bog post here.
Keeping a watch during lockdown
SubscribeFor more stories like this, and to keep up to date with all our market leading news, features and analysis, sign up to our newsletter here.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
21/04/2026
Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...
21/04/2026
The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...
21/04/2026
5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...
21/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...
21/04/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...
21/04/2026
Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...
21/04/2026
Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...
21/04/2026
Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...
21/04/2026
Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...
21/04/2026
Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...
21/04/2026
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...
21/04/2026
Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...
21/04/2026
Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...
21/04/2026
Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...
21/04/2026
FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...
21/04/2026
Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...
21/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...
21/04/2026
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...
21/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...
21/04/2026
Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...
21/04/2026
Rashad Frett attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Ricky at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shut...
21/04/2026
Five years ago, Spotify arrived in Pakistan, opening a new chapter in the country's music scene. Since then, local listeners have explored across genres, ge...
21/04/2026
Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has been our program for spotlighting emerging artists around the world. This year marks the sixth edition of RADAR Spain, our o...
21/04/2026
Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards
Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...
21/04/2026
Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives
Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...
21/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Vali...
21/04/2026
MAS and Lockheed Martin partner to establish an F-35 depot in Canada, enabling in-country sustainment and creating high-skilled aerospace jobs....
21/04/2026
Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and qualit...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration w...
21/04/2026
Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse...
21/04/2026
On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026
Melanie Ciotti April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Unlimited processing, no cloud depe...
21/04/2026
London, 21 April 2026 IBC today announced the appointment of Tim Banham as its first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), a newly created role that reflects the or...
21/04/2026
Motion Design Tools - April 2026
Roland Kahlenberg April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Within 2 days, Maxon and Canva announced pro-level motion design apps - A...
21/04/2026
Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
BBC R&D collaborated with the BBC Natural History Unit to test systems using AI technologies to help monitor some of the remote wildlife cameras
