India’s BatEchoMon: Revolutionizing Bat Research with Automated Echolocation Analysis
A groundbreaking automated system, BatEchoMon, is poised to transform bat research in India and globally, offering real-time detection and analysis of bat calls.
The Tedious Task of Bat Call Analysis: A Thing of the Past?
For years, bat biologists like Kadambari Deshpande have faced a monumental challenge: sifting through massive amounts of audio data to identify and analyze bat echolocation calls. Deshpande, reflecting on her Ph.D. research in the Western Ghats, described the arduous process: “A ‘good night’ would generate about 30 GB of data from 11 hours of recording… It took me 11 months to process 20 nights of data.”
That painstaking process may soon be a relic of the past, thanks to BatEchoMon.
Introducing BatEchoMon: India’s First Automated Bat Monitoring System
batechomon, short for “Bat Echolocation Monitoring,” is an innovative autonomous system designed to detect and analyze bat calls in real-time. Developed by Deshpande and Vedant Barje, under the guidance of Jagdish Krishnaswamy at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), Bengaluru, this system represents a significant leap forward in bat research.
Deshpande, now a postdoctoral fellow, emphasizes the transformative potential of BatEchoMon. “BatEchoMon can probably give me that in a few hours,” she stated, highlighting the system’s ability to drastically reduce data processing time.
For U.S.readers,imagine the implications for monitoring endangered bat species like the Indiana bat or the grey bat. Currently,researchers rely on similar manual methods for analyzing bat calls,making the process time-consuming and resource-intensive. BatEchoMon offers a potential solution to streamline thes efforts, allowing for more efficient and complete monitoring.
A New Era for Chiropterology
According to Deshpande, BatEchoMon marks “a new chapter for bat research in the country.” The system empowers chiropterologists to “go beyond data processing and towards asking interesting questions about bat ecology.”
Rohit Chakravarty, a bat researcher and conservationist at the Nature Conservation Foundation, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Not only will it lead to a smoother workflow, it will help people transition to recording bats in different parts of the country, allowing us to gain more insights on the natural history and ecology of different bat species.”
Chakravarty further emphasized the global importance of BatEchoMon: “I don’t know of any device internationally with an in-built recording plus call classifying unit. If my knowledge serves me well,BatEchoMon is a milestone in bat research globally.”
How BatEchoMon Works: The Bat in the Machine
BatEchoMon is more than just a bat detector; it’s a comprehensive system that records, stores, processes, and analyzes bat activity in real-time. It utilizes Audiomoth, a low-cost ultrasonic detector, as its “ears,” converting ultrasonic echolocation calls into audible sounds.
Barje explained the technical configuration: “In [BatEchoMon], Audiomoth, a popular low-cost ultrasonic detector, has been configured to work as an ultrasonic microphone.”
The device, programmed to activate at sunset, continuously listens and analyzes audio. A Raspberry Pi microprocessor acts as the “brain,” processing data captured by Audiomoth. Deshpande detailed the process: “It first isolates bat calls from other ultrasounds, such as those of insects or anthropogenic and environmental noises. Then the peak frequency and structure of a bat call are analysed to match a known pre-trained model, which helps identify the bat species.”
Barje added, “The system uses a [convolutional neural network] based algorithm to do this.” The output includes spectrograms of detected bat calls, audio recordings, and statistical data on species activity.this level of automation saves researchers countless hours previously spent on manual interpretation.
The system’s components are housed in a compact box, and it’s powered by a solar panel and battery. According to Barje, the device can operate for up to eight days without sunlight.
BatEchoMon’s modular design allows for customization, adapting the battery, charging apparatus, and level of automation to specific environments. Though,the team has been reserved in divulging more details about the setup process.
From Dream to Reality: A Serendipitous Collaboration
Deshpande, who has been using bat detectors since 2008, envisioned a system like BatEchoMon for years.A chance meeting with Vedant Barje, an engineer from her hometown, transformed her vision into reality. “Meeting [Barje] just revolutionised the whole thought. Suddenly, it became possible,” Deshpande said.
The duo faced numerous challenges, experimenting with different microprocessors, algorithms, and power solutions. Their primary goal was to create a user-friendly, low-cost package.
According to Barje,the core system of BatEchoMon costs one-third of advanced detectors and similar systems,offering a more accessible solution for researchers with limited budgets. He did not wish to disclose exact numbers, however.
Challenges and Future Directions
BatEchoMon has successfully completed pilot tests in Nashik. The team plans to conduct longer duration tests in diverse conditions and beta test the device with external users.
“Everybody comes with their own experiences of acoustics and different species.So eventually,we would like our colleagues to test it for themselves and share their experiences so that we can improve on the existing system,” deshpande said.
The main obstacle is the limited availability of reference libraries for bat calls. Deshpande noted, “Currently, the system can identify six to seven common Indian bat species. going forward, we would like to include as manny bat species as possible.”
The team aims to expand the device’s species identification capabilities, focusing on bats in urban, peri-urban, and human-modified forested areas. Creating robust training datasets for different species remains a key challenge, which they hope to address through collaborations with other bat researchers.
Initiatives such as the ‘State of India’s Bats’ workshop are fostering collaborations among Indian researchers. Chakravarty highlighted the importance of this collaboration: “One of the key knowledge gaps identified by participants at the workshop was the lack of a thorough reference call library… We also need more funding to conduct surveys in different parts of the country. It will allow researchers to identify more species and gather more recordings for training datasets.”
Implications for Bat Conservation in the U.S.
The growth of batechomon has significant implications for bat conservation efforts in the United States.As mentioned earlier, the system’s ability to automate bat call analysis could greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of monitoring programs for endangered species.
Moreover, the low-cost design of BatEchoMon makes it an attractive option for citizen science initiatives. Imagine equipping volunteers with these devices to collect bat call data in different regions of the country. This would not only expand the scope of monitoring efforts but also engage the public in bat conservation.
Furthermore, consider its ease of use, this can be deployed in areas which are challenging to access, allowing for the monitoring of bats in a wider range of habitats and conditions.
Below is the species identified using a similar type of sound automation system.
The U.S. could take a page from this book by prioritizing funding for development and testing of automated bat monitoring systems. The increased data collection and analysis would provide valuable insights into bat populations, behavior, and habitat use, informing conservation strategies and helping to protect these vital creatures.
The automation of bat species identification also addresses a critical human resource constraint by lowering the need for expert human review of large volumes of recordings collected. In remote regions, this capability is notably valuable, ensuring comprehensive species identification and distribution data even with limited expert presence.
Interview: Kadambari Deshpande on BatEchoMon and the Future of Bat Research in India
Introduction: A Revolutionary Tool for Bat Research
Archyde news: Welcome,Dr. Deshpande. It’s a pleasure to have you with us at Archyde. Your work on BatEchoMon has generated important excitement. Can you start by explaining what BatEchoMon is and why it’s so revolutionary for bat research?
Dr. Kadambari Deshpande: Thank you for having me. BatEchoMon, in essence, is an automated system designed to detect and analyse bat calls in real-time. It’s revolutionary because it drastically cuts down on the immense time and effort traditionally required to analyze bat echolocation data. This frees up researchers like myself to focus on the exciting questions of bat ecology and conservation.
The Problem: Time-Consuming Manual Analysis
Archyde News: The article highlighted the sheer volume of data and the time commitment. Can you elaborate on the challenges researchers faced before BatEchoMon, and how this system addresses them?
Dr. Deshpande: Absolutely. Before BatEchoMon, processing the data from just a few nights of recordings could take months. We had to manually sift through massive audio files, painstakingly identifying and classifying each bat call. This manual process was not only extremely time-consuming but also prone to errors. BatEchoMon automates this entire process,using a highly advanced convolutional neural network algorithm to perform the analysis,significantly decreasing the time required and increasing efficiency and overall data quality.
How BatEchoMon Works: Technology and Innovation
Archyde News: Could you walk us through how BatEchoMon actually functions? What makes it so effective?
Dr.Deshpande: Certainly. The system uses Audiomoth detectors as its “ears,” converting ultrasonic bat calls into audible sounds. A Raspberry Pi microprocessor acts as the “brain,” processing the audio data. The device can identify bat calls from other noises, analyzing the calls’ peak frequencies to match them to pre-trained models, identifying species. Once the call analysis is done, we recieve spectrograms, audio recordings and statistical data on the species activity, saving numerous hours in manual interpretation.
Impact on Bat Conservation and Research
Archyde News: Rohit Chakravarty mentioned the global importance of this device. How do you see BatEchoMon impacting bat research and conservation efforts in India and,perhaps,globally?
Dr. Deshpande: It opens a new chapter for bat research. It helps us “go beyond data processing and toward asking captivating questions about bat ecology,”.Globally, it should enable easier monitoring of endangered bat populations. the real-time data would inform more effective conservation strategies.The cost-effectiveness and accessibility of BatEchoMon make it suitable for citizen science projects.
Addressing Challenges and future Plans
Archyde News: what are the primary challenges the team faces moving forward such as building accurate recognition with larger datasets?
Dr. Deshpande: Our main challenge now is expanding the system’s identification capabilities by including a wider range of bat species and improving the accuracy of identification. We also want to conduct longer duration tests in diverse conditions. We are collaborating with other researchers to build robust training datasets specific to different species. We have a goal of expanding our training data to include more bat species in urban, peri-urban, and human-modified forested areas.
Implications for the US and Globally
Archyde News: considering the similarities in bat monitoring practices, how do you see the lessons learned from BatEchoMon being applicable to bat conservation efforts in the U.S.? Besides cost reduction, are there are any particular benefits?
Dr. Deshpande: BatEchoMon offers similar cost advantages in the U.S. and globally, facilitating extended monitoring of endangered species. It offers the ability to gather more data, which enables a more scientific approach to conservation efforts. The automated analysis removes a current bottleneck by reducing the time spent on resource-intensive review. In remote areas, where the presence of human experts may be limited, this has real-world impacts.
The Future of Bat Research: A New Era Dawns
Archyde News: Dr. Deshpande, what is your vision for the future of bat research, particularly in light of advancements like batechomon? What are the potential benefits for these animals?
Dr. Deshpande: batechomon empowers a shift from tedious manual processes to more insightful investigations into bat behavior. By enabling more streamlined data collection and analysis, we can gather more robust data to understand bat behaviors. As resources increase, we can monitor these habitats and inform stronger conservation strategies.Better technologies,like BatEchoMon,will facilitate more research around the globe!
Concluding Thoughts and Audience Engagement
Archyde News: This device is a game changer. Given the importance of bats in our ecosystem, what are the most critically important steps that scientists, conservationists, and even everyday people can take to support bat conservation and the advancement of technologies like BatEchoMon?
Dr. Deshpande: Encourage your local conservation efforts, get engaged in discussions, or use your purchasing power to support companies with strong environmental ethics. most importantly, do your research so you can support responsible environmental practices.
