DOI · DOI-0073 · record R2680

Automated photographic identification of Eastern box turtles

Department of the Interior · USGS

Overview

Development stage: PilotSource: b) Pilot – The use case has been deployed in a limited test or pilot capacity.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not reported
Start date: 2024-09-06 (day precision)Source: 9/6/2024
Withheld from public reporting: NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area: Science
Operational functions: No function tag matched Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

Matching photographs from a database of photos to determine capture history of individuals which can then be used in capture-recapture models to estimate population size and demographic parameters.

Expected benefits

efficiencies in field data collection, allows data from community/citizen science to be used in monitoring activities, allows for the application of more sophisticated capture-recapture models

System outputs

output is pairwise match or confidence scores and clusters of putative photo matches

Technology

AI classification: Computer visionSource: Computer Vision: AI that processes and interprets visual data (e.g., images and videos).
System name(s): Not reported
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Developed in-houseSource: b) Developed in-house
Vendor (as reported): Not reported
Vendors (standardized): None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: No
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: No
Demographic features: l) Other
Training and evaluation data: esearch data set of photographs collected by USGS staff and volunteers at Patuxent Research Refuge
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

5 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewReported in placeSource: a) Yes – by another appropriate agency office or reviewer not directly involved in the AI’s development

Ongoing monitoringReported in placeSource: a) Yes, sufficient monitoring protocols have been established

Operator trainingReported in placeSource: a) Yes, sufficient and periodic training has been established

Fail-safeNot applicableSource: b) Not applicable

Appeal processReported in progressSource: c) Establishment of an appropriate appeal process is in-progress

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported