Publications
Publications
- October 2022 (Revised December 2022)
- HBS Case Collection
SMART: AI and Machine Learning for Wildlife Conservation
By: Brian Trelstad and Bonnie Yining Cao
Abstract
Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), a set of software and analytical tools designed for the purpose of wildlife conservation, had demonstrated significant improvements in patrol coverage, with some observed reductions in poaching and contributing to wildlife population growth. Jonathan Palmer, Executive Director of Conservation Technology for the Wildlife Conservation Society, wondered how far to promote the integration of a new predictive analytic tool being developed at Harvard University, called the Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security (PAWS), and whether the data that PAWS gathered from the parks and wildlife reserves would be reliable enough for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to work effectively.
Keywords
Business and Government Relations; Emerging Markets; Technology Adoption; Strategy; Management; Ethics; Social Enterprise; AI and Machine Learning; Analytics and Data Science; Natural Environment; Technology Industry; Cambodia; United States; Africa
Citation
Trelstad, Brian, and Bonnie Yining Cao. "SMART: AI and Machine Learning for Wildlife Conservation." Harvard Business School Case 323-036, October 2022. (Revised December 2022.)