Capgemini taps AI solution to help conserve Mojave desert

Capgemini said it has partnered with The Nature Conservancy in Nevada and also developed an artificial intelligence solution to help gauge impact of landscape and ecosystem degradation indicators across Mojave desert. 

The Mojave desert is the smallest of the four deserts in the US that altogether comprise the North American desert. It spreads across California, south-western Utah, southern Nevada and north-western Arizona. 

The French company claimed to have used computer vision and machine learning technologies to monitor the impact on the Mojave desert landscape and wildlife ecosystem.  

“Capgemini brings deep AI and data science expertise, and our innovative solution can help find and monitor land degradations in the Mojave desert,” said Jerry Kurtz, Head of Insights and Data at Capgemini in North America.  

“We’re very hopeful that we will be able to apply this solution to a wide range of conservation efforts that help protect at-risk natural environments around the world.”  

Capgemini claimed that it has developed a tool to study satellite imageries and also to monitor the off-road vehicles trails. This data is then compared to other relevant information, such as nesting areas of protected species like the Mojave desert tortoise.  

Michael Clifford, Nevada Conservation Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, said, “Capgemini’s solution has been monitoring off-roading in a small portion of the Western Mojave. The solution has the possibility of helping to monitor degradation to the desert at scale.”