Reef scientists putting AI power to good use

Environmental Protection

Shaun Hollis

Journalist

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Citizens of the Reef’s fifth annual Great Reef Census finished a record number of in-water surveys. Picture: COTR
The annual Great Reef Census uncovered a host of unique wildlife. Picture: COTR

One conservation group is harnessing the mighty power of artificial intelligence to help protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Citizens of the Reef’s fifth annual Great Reef Census finished a record number of about 320 in-water surveys this year, with help from AI and thousands of citizen scientists from across the globe who collected and analysed reef images.

The survey range broke the previous record from 2021, with 740 reefs - nearly a quarter of the entire system - now surveyed.

The group this year collected images from more than 1300 sites and generated more than 43,000 reef images, with the dataset used by University of Queensland marine scientists and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to help better manage the reef.

COTR chief executive Andy Ridley said the census had become one of the largest of its kind on the planet, with “thousands of AI-assisted virtual volunteers from around the world” helping to analyse images brought back from the reef. 

And this was just the start of being able to harness the power of AI to analyse reef data.

“We are scratching the surface of what is possible,” Mr Ridley said.

A new paper by reef scientists has found "the average accuracy for branching, plating, and boulder coral was 99 per cent for all images".

"With less than 80 images collected from each site, we can achieve 95 per cent accuracy at over 95 per cent of sites," the scientists found.

When multiple online citizen scientists analyse each image, the number of in-water images can be reduced, meaning less people need to go out to the Reef.

University of Queensland data scientist Dr Christopher Lawson said the AI-based system was working well.

“The current analysis system used for the Great Reef Census is producing results well within our accuracy targets for science and conservation,” he said. 

“There is an opportunity for more and more people to help, whether that is in the water or sitting on their sofa and helping as a virtual volunteer.” 

The results from the census have been used since 2021 to help control crown-of-thorns starfish and find dozens of “mother reefs” that are the most important for coral recovery. 

The importance scores for 88 per cent of all reefs within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park have now been updated. 

To sign up as a volunteer, go to greatreefcensus.org.

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