Category
BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYs
Do you need a report on the assessment of biodiversity or an environmental impact assessment of a given location? Sunbird Images might just be the right partner to help you out. Here is why:
CORE COMPETENCE
Background
Our core competence lies in the creation of digital field guides and in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based software for species recognition. Using these skills to conduct surveys gives us the advantage to be more efficient and effective than our competitors. With the help of technology, and with biologists and 4 experts holding PhDs in our team we are able to cover almost all fields of biodiversity across all organism groups. AI technology and over 100 freelancers working for us allow us to carry out a large quantity of surveys simultanously.
surveys
How do we carry out surveys?
We have experience in collecting, analysing and interpreting biological data relevant to your project.
The extensive use of technology at Sunbird Images probably is the most striking difference and field of competence in comparison to other ecological planning offices who mainly use manpower, pencil and paper to carry out surveys. With Sunbird Images this includes the use of automatic species identification devices, self-written software to analyse huge amounts of data. With the help of machine learning software, we identify species in images from camera traps, or taken with apps, as well as spectrograms from sound recordings (e.g., birds and bats).
We can also build and set up a database you can access and manage yourself after our involvement is terminated if wished.
Also, we verify data through various biological citizen science platforms to make sure we have not missed out on important species which could potentially backfire in a later unexpected re-evaluation by environmental groups.
But before we start our team of biologists evaluates together with the client which steps and species groups are necessary to be looked at as well as the survey’s duration in ordert to reach the optimal outcome for your assessment.
Why choose us to do your survey?
Choose Sunbird Images for a number of reasons:
Cost efficiancy - through the use of the latest self-developed hard- and software
Using automatic species recognition devices saves manpower
High competence in species recognition - High level of in-house expertise in biodiversity knowledge
Expertise in a variety of biological taxa such as flowering plants, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals etc.
References
Sunbird Images has carried out a number of biodiversity surveys in various environments including European habitats such as wasteland, quarries, unused agricultural areas and abandoned woodland. Our team has also conducted surveys in complex, species rich, non-European environments. Species assessment there are often a lot more challenging for a number of reasons. Sunbird Images was chosen as a preferred partner for being known to work under difficult climatic conditions, and also for their comprehensive knowledge in identifying difficult taxa. Especially tropical environments often inhabit an incredible high number of species. These include thousands of animals or plants to be assessed which makes European surveys seem like a walk in the park.
The following excerpt lists a few biodiversity surveys carried out by Sunbird Images around the globe:
Germany
In cooperation with the Untere Landschaftsbehörde of the District Mettmann, Germany, we made a multi taxa biodiversity assessment. This was carried out at the “Bochumer Bruch”, the renaturalized limestone quarry in the city of Wülfrath, Germany. The assessed taxa included birds, reptiles, and amphibians as well as mammals including bats.
Malawi, Afrika
Scientific assessment of the Avifauna of Northern Malawi at Malema Camp. Malawi is home to almost 700 birds including 23 globally threatened species.
Australia, NSW + Southern Queensland
Survey on different bowerbird species and assessment of courtship bowers of Satin bowerbirds.
Panama, Gamboa, canal region
Assessment of Euglossine bees and hummingbirds in the Panama canal region carried out at the Smithsonian Institute.
Our tools
Sunbird wildlife Id and assessment apps
Sunbird has provided tools, in the form of wildlife Id and assessment apps, which are frequently used in ecological planning offices to facilitate data collection and help with species identification. The Sunbird team also makes use of their own apps to identify species and to gather and export biological data. With over 100 nature apps to date some of our most successful and most used apps in this context are the following:
NABU Vogelwelt App
includes all bird species native to Germany. Equipped with state-of-the-art image and sound recognition birds can automatically be identified with the help of our technology.
Wildbienen Id BienABest
was developed in cooperation with Ulm University and the Bundesumweltministerium dpt. BfN (Bundesamt für Naturschutz) the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation to develop a digital tool to identify wild bees of Germany. The app is still being further developed and is the only one on the market to scientifically identify bees. The app was officially launched by Svenja Schulze, Minister of Federal Environment (off duty) in June 2021.
Dragonfly Id Europe
is being used to automatically identify all 164 dragonfly species of Europe. This app was developed in cooperation with Bloomsbury Ltd, London and the Haupt Verlag, Switzerland.
100+ nature apps
about various species groups including trees, flowering plants, insects, mammals, birds and mushrooms developed for over 30 countries.