Automated Shark Detection Launched in SA

After 15 years of using trained observers (spotters) to successfully reduce the risk of shark bites in Cape Town, the Shark Spotters programme is launching a new research project aimed at creating an automated shark spotting system that will enhance their pioneering sustainable shark safety service. Read more below: The Shark Spotters, the Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa at the University of Cape Town, and PatternLab SaRL, a research and development company specialising in data science and computer-aided vision from Switzerland, have launched a project aimed at developing a low-cost computer-aided vision automatic shark detection algorithm to be used on fixed cameras above Cape Town’s beaches. The Shark Spotters programme, funded by the City of Cape Town and the Save Our Seas Foundation, has significantly improved water user safety at its operating beaches in Cape Town, recording over 2 500 shark sightings since its inception in 2004. The development of the automated shark spotting system will build upon this strong foundation and help to overcome some of the limitations the programme currently experiences including the need for natural elevation (mountains) and the potential for human fatigue and error. Fieldwork for the project has begun on Fish Hoek beach […]

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