The rhino poaching scourge persist because of the complex web of issues surrounding it. These include the age-old myths of sexual potency and medicinal efficacy, the market price of the horn itself, inadequate government policies, and widespread poverty in the rural communities surrounding game reserves. But an often overlooked fact is the very real difficulty of protecting rhino over tens of thousands of square kilometres of particularly difficult terrain. Camiel and his team have created technology that combines drones (and satellites), with artificial intelligence and cloud platforms to help the ranger to more effectively scope terrain and track animals. Could this be the answer that game farmers and activists and governments and broader society have all been looking for? Could drones at last put the final nail into the rhino poaching coffin?

Camiel is founder and CEO of Dutch UAS, a Dutch startup that builds software to analyse nature reserves and farms. The software creates 3D maps and detects objects (e.g. animals, humans, and cars) in images taken by drones using artificial intelligence. The technology is developed to help rangers combat rhino poaching, but has numerous other potential applications. The Kairos Society recently announced Camiel and his team amongst the top 50 emerging global entrepreneurs to watch.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]

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