THRISSUR: To Alert and warn commuters on the Chalakudy-Athirappilly-Malakkappara route of wild elephants, the forest department has installed an artificial intelligence-aided system along the roads near Thumboormuzhi. AI cameras will be placed inside the forest. Local residents and tourists have faced wild-elephant attacks in and around the Athirappilly region. On February 7, five-year-old Agnimiya, who was travelling on a bike with her father and grandfather, died in a jumbo attack.
After the incident, the Chalakudy divisional forest officer (DFO) and chief conservator of forests (central circle) studied the possibilities of using technology to avert similar tragedies in future.Sources said the forest department would be using a system developed by Kochi-based Invendo I Technologies.
“Presently we are using high-definition cameras installed by the department. Only the AI software was purchased from the company. A control unit and response team to manage the wild elephant issue are already in place. The LED screen will show an alert, in red colour, if any images of wild jumbos are captured by the camera within 100 metres of the Athirappilly road.
The warning messages will be in English and Malayalam. Simultaneously, messages will be sent to the control unit,” said Chalakudy DFO Sambudha Majumdar. He added the AI-aided system will be used on an experimental basis on the route and if found successful, it will be installed on all vulnerable forest roads.
The forest department had spent `2 lakh for the pilot project while the AI technology will be costlier.
If found successful, the department plans to install similar warning boards in necessary locations in Athirapilly region, as the vehicle movement here is high due to the tourist flow.