Buzzwatch – a golden opportunity for our bees
Amai! - smart AI solutions for social issues
"The honey bee, the canary in the coalmine"
Plantsoon stands up for pollinators...
Bee mortality was very high once again last winter. Our honeybees are like the canary in the coalmine. If all is not well with our honeybees, then all is not well with all pollinators (bumblebees, solitary bees, etc.). With the Buzzwatch AI project, we want to contribute to the conservation of all pollinators. By mapping demand (bee populations) and supply (gestation plants), we can help hungry bee colonies with targeted actions.
Buzzwatch is a collaboration between the Flemish Bee Institute, PXL and Plantsoon. By offering the Plantsoon platform, we provide one of three pillars for Buzzwatch:
• The AI models map the observation plots on the roadsides based on aerial images. They further provide plant recognition of plants on those roadsides, based on photos taken by citizens.
• Plantsoon provides the app in which citizens can easily record observations about the plants they photograph.
• The experts evaluate the photos and check the AI identification of the roadside plants in the observation plot.
Vote for our bees via the following link: https://amai.vlaanderen/stemnu
... and calls on citizens to help.
Buzzwatch is an AI project of Amai!. Amai!’s aim is to inform citizens about AI and involve them in the development of new AI applications in Flanders. Amai! accomplishes this by bringing AI experts, domain organizations and citizens together around four themes: climate and environment, mobility, health, and work. Smart AI solutions are developed for these themes based on a socially relevant issue.
Large scale and relevant data will allow us to draw strong conclusions from Buzzwatch. Amai! therefore calls on Flanders’ citizens to participate. The people who contribute the most to the Buzzwatch project will be recognized with a jar of delicious, local, artisanal honey.
The data can help beekeepers optimize the placement of beehives at any time of the year and can also identify the impact on solitary bee species. The results provide valuable insights for municipal green services when developing roadside management plans. On a larger scale, Buzzwatch supports land managers, beekeepers and nature conservationists in Flanders and contributes to the recovery of bee populations. The project will form the basis for a scientifically based policy and provide insight into the efforts of citizens and governments.
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