An interdisciplinary approach to building data literacy in wildlife survey technologies

PI: Cynthia Loftin, UM Wildlife Ecology and USGS Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit
Collaborators: Kate Beard Tisdale, UM School of Computing and Information Science, Anthony Guay & Dan Hayes, UM School of Forest Resources, Roy Turner, UM School of Computing and Information Science, Tora Johnson, GIS Director, University of Maine-Machias, Aly McKnight Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Unity College; Mark Koneff, Chief, Branch of Migratory Bird Surveys, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Brian Benedict, Maine Coastal Islands Refuge, Linda Welch & Sara Williams, USFWS Wildlife Biologists; Caleb Speigel, USFWS, Division of Migratory Birds; and Danielle D’Auria, Waterbird Biologist, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

This project’s objectives are to 1) build interdisciplinary data literacy through development, application, and evaluation of new technologies for rapid assessment of wildlife populations during time-critical windows, 2) engage students in team science, and 3) transfer this technology to collaborating stakeholders. An interdisciplinary team of students will collaborate with biologists, ecologists, remote sensing specialists, and computer scientists to evaluate and improve survey methods, image collection and interpretation protocols, and tools to enhance data management efficiency and workflow with machine learning and artificial intelligence.