During the EGI Foundation Side Event “Empowering Research Infrastructures for Global Impact: Digital Tools and Collaborative Solutions”, which took place in Australia this month within ICRI 2024, EMSO Director General Ingrid Puillat was invited to explore the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing oceanographic research.

The event showcased a range of Research infrastructures and projects representing different activities and solutions for digital RI transformation. Puillat emphasized the significant strides made by EMSO in AI-powered ocean imaging within the Horizon Europe-funded iMagine project, coordinated by the EGI foundation, in which the ERIC is a key participant.

“iMagine offers a comprehensive solution, integrating image datasets, cutting-edge AI tools, and proven methodologies for scientific image analysis,” she explained. “This collaboration between research infrastructures, technology institutes, and data centers is propelling the boundaries of aquatic science.”

EMSO’s Role in AI-Driven Ocean Science

EMSO’s contribution to iMagine is multifaceted. Several EMSO observatories, including Ireland’s SmartBay, Spain’s Obsea, and France’s Azores, have developed compelling use cases for ecosystem monitoring. By applying iMagine’s AI tools, these observatories are enhancing video processing and species detection capabilities, streamlining scientific research.

“Traditionally, scientists relied on manual methods to count organisms in ocean imagery,” Puillat noted. “iMagine’s AI algorithms automate this laborious task, enabling researchers to delve deeper into complex scientific questions. By integrating AI models into the iMagine platform, we aim to significantly accelerate the analysis of underwater video data, thereby improving our understanding of marine ecosystems.”

Citizen Science and AI: A Powerful Partnership

Puillat also highlighted the importance of the Deep Sea Spy, a citizen science platform launched in 2017 and led by the Deep-sea Environment Lab at the IFREMER Brest centre. This platform empowers citizen scientists to contribute to marine research by annotating images from EMSO-Azores and Ocean Networks Canada observatories.

With over 200,000 annotations collected, these citizen-generated data are invaluable for iMagine project for improving the accuracy and efficiency of its automated analysis tools. This collaboration between citizen science and AI is helping to drive innovation in ocean research and advance our understanding of the ocean and its inhabitants.

 

Photo: Ingrid Puillat, Director General of EMSO ERIC at ICRI 2024, Brisbane, Australia.
Authors: Sara Pero and Ingrid Puillat, EMSO ERIC