A two-metre long, helicopter-style drone thunders over the Gulf of St. Lawrence, equipped with two powerful sensors that surveil the glistening surface below. As a pod of North Atlantic right whales swim just below the surface, the sensors instantly capture images of the majestic sight in precise detail.
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning mean the data is immediately transferred to on-shore computers and analyzed by operators. In this case, the information will be used to detect, classify and track the right whales, which are at risk of injury from shipping traffic in the Gulf and on the east coast of Canada.
It’s just one of the many ongoing projects at TerraSense Analytics, a Kelowna-based AI company specializing in surveillance and monitoring solutions using computer vision and deep learning technology. Co-founded by UBC alum Jozsef Hamari, the company originally focused its remote sensing technology in the forestry sector to count and classify trees.
“Working in forestry led us to reach out to UBC Okanagan and its STAR initiative, which connects private sector companies with university researchers and market opportunities,” explains Hamari, President and Chief Technology Officer at TerraSense.
“We were introduced to Dr. Zheng Liu, an expert in the AI and machine learning field. As we talked, I saw the value in his approach, and we both wanted to pair that with some of the deep learning and computer vision work we were doing independently. That’s when we decided to submit a joint proposal to the IDEaS program.”
Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS), a federally funded program through the Department of National Defence, provides funding to companies to develop technology that can be used in both the commercial sector and defence space. For Dr. Liu, the program was a perfect mix of his research interests and expertise.
“I became excited by the opportunity of working with industry to more quickly move existing technologies and my research further into the commercial space, where it can benefit society,” explains Dr. Liu, a Professor of Applied Science in Engineering. “Devising real-life, interdisciplinary solutions to everyday problems is my passion.”
That initial 2018 application has been an incredible catalyst for growth for Hamari’s team and Dr. Liu, who were successful through multiple project phases and were eventually awarded a $10-million contract. Since then, TerraSense has grown exponentially from just two employees working closely with UBC STAR in their campus lab space, to almost 30 employees now located in new company headquarters.
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