Microsoft Announces AI Tool for Remote Biodiversity Monitoring

Image source: Microsoft

Published on January 11, 2025

Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab has unveiled SPARROW, a solar-powered AI tool designed to monitor and protect Earth’s biodiversity in remote areas. Equipped with advanced sensors and low-energy edge GPUs, SPARROW collects and processes data from camera traps, acoustic monitors, and other environmental devices. The data is transmitted via low-Earth orbit satellites, providing researchers with real-time insights into the health of ecosystems worldwide.

With open-source software, hardware designs, and 3D-printable components, SPARROW wants to empower global conservation efforts by enabling NGOs, scientists, and citizen researchers to deploy their own devices. Initial deployments in North and South America, including Colombia’s Amazon region, are part of Project Guacamaya, with plans for global expansion by late 2025.

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