Antenna Research Project Studies Insects to Safeguard Ecosystems 

Cutting-edge technology aids global research on declining insect populations, providing insights for conservation policies.

Insect populations, essential for pollination, soil health, and ecological balance, are under severe threat from climate change and habitat loss. 

Recognizing the need for comprehensive monitoring, Montreal’s Mila-Quebec AI Institute joined forces with the global Automated Monitoring of Insects (AMI) consortium. Together, they’ve launched the “Antenna” project, an advanced initiative using advanced machine learning to track and study insect diversity worldwide. 

The Antenna project and researchers involved support the ABC Global Climate Center’s mission by providing critical insect biodiversity data, helping address climate impacts on ecosystems. By monitoring insect populations, Antenna informs climate and conservation policies, complementing the center’s broader focus on ecological resilience and land-use strategies. 

Antenna began in 2020, operating across three continents and offering a unique data platform leveraging AI-driven tools to collect, identify, and monitor insect populations in real time. At the heart of Antenna is a machine-learning platform that processes images from high-resolution cameras and low-cost sensors in various ecosystems, focusing on moths as a representative insect group. 

David Rolnick, Mila’s Assistant Professor at McGill University and a Canda CIFAR AI Chair, leads the project alongside team members like researchers Anna Viklund, Michael Bunsen, and Yuyan Chen at McGill. Together, they aim to make insect monitoring more accessible and less labor intensive, addressing gaps in ecological expertise and resources. 

Viklund presented the interdisciplinary project at the ABC Global Climate Center’s all-hands meeting in October. She said the platform provides different models, even a global model, to compare different results and locations. 

“When we bring people together on a shared platform like this we can stop working in isolation and bring more context and a stronger sense of purpose to our individual tasks,” she said.

Mila’s Antenna technology begins with an object detector, which isolates individual insects in an image, followed by an image classifier to distinguish moths from other insects. These images are then subjected to species classification, providing rich data on insect health in specific regions. 

The machine learning pipeline, backed by Mila’s open-source software, processes data from camera traps worldwide, helping ecologists understand shifts in insect populations and their implications for biodiversity. Some environments, like in Montreal, may not have an abundance of species to detect, but down in Panama there may be a strong diversity. Data from Antenna will play a crucial role in shaping land-use policies and conservation efforts. The goal is to empower entomologists with accurate data to make informed decisions on climate adaptation and biodiversity.

Funding for Antenna comes from Mila’s research partners, grants, and CIFAR, with the project gaining global attention through high-profile publications and presentations. Recent papers presented at the European Conference on Computer Vision and NuerlPS highlight advancements in insect identification and AI-based monitoring, underscoring the project’s role in pushing ecological boundaries.

Andre-Philippe Drapeau Picard, Montreal Insectarium Research Agent, said the project is an ideal collaboration between computer scientists at MILA, McGill, and at the Montreal Insectarium, combining their expertise for taxonomy identification, classification, and hardware.

“It’s going to help us track temporal and spatial patterns in diversity in abundance. We also want to use (Antenna) to detect eventual intruders, or exotic species, and monitor epidemics of spruce bug. For example, to help manage forests using less pesticides,” he said. “All of this comes together to build a tool that will help us standardize insect monitoring worldwide.”

With ambitions to expand to more continents, Mila’s Antenna project is set to advance both the reach and accuracy of insect data collection, a critical step in combating biodiversity loss. As it grows, the Antenna team plans to collaborate with more global research institutions, amplifying the impact of its technology on a planet facing ecological crises.