Tomás Markey
🌿AI Conservation Project

Protecting Ireland's Hedgerows with AI

Sceach is an automatic habitat endangerment detection system that uses instance segmentation on satellite imagery to identify illegal hedge cutting, helping protect biodiversity and save thousands of birds each year.

Active DevelopmentAI & ConservationSatellite Technology

The Problem

🌳
689,000km
of hedgerows in Ireland

Critical habitats for wildlife that are increasingly under threat from illegal cutting and development.

🐦
60%
of Irish birds are of serious conservation concern

Hedgerow destruction directly impacts bird populations and biodiversity.

📊
<10%
of infringements are reported

Most illegal hedge cutting goes undetected due to limited monitoring resources.

⏱️
2-3 days
traditional investigation time

Manual investigation processes are slow and resource-intensive.

Our Solution

We revolutionize hedgerow protection by combining satellite imagery with AI. Rangers can scan any area on-demand and receive instant before/after comparisons, turning a 2-3 day investigation into a 2-3 minute process.

🛰️

Real-time satellite imagery analysis

Continuous monitoring of Ireland's hedgerow network using high-resolution satellite data.

🎯

Instance segmentation for precise detection

Advanced AI models that can identify and classify individual hedgerow segments with high accuracy.

📊

Automated reporting system

Instant alerts and detailed reports when potential violations are detected.

👥

User-friendly dashboard

Intuitive interface for rangers and conservation officers to monitor and manage cases.

🎬

See Sceach in Action

Watch how our AI instantly detects hedge cutting violations

Traditional vs AI-Powered Detection

Before Detection

Traditional Method

📞Public Reports
🚗Field Investigation
📸Manual Evidence
2-3 days

With Sceach

AI-Powered

🛰️Satellite Scan
🤖AI Analysis
📄Instant Report
2-3 minutes

Technical Implementation

AI & Computer Vision

🤖

Instance Segmentation Models

Custom-trained deep learning models for hedgerow detection

🔍

Change Detection

Before/after comparison algorithms for violation identification

📈

Accuracy Optimization

Continuous model improvement through feedback loops

Satellite & Data Infrastructure

🛰️

Multi-Source Imagery

Integration of various satellite data sources for comprehensive coverage

☁️

Cloud Processing

Scalable infrastructure for real-time image analysis

📊

Data Management

Efficient storage and retrieval of historical imagery data

🤖

Continuous Monitoring

Our AI system works 24/7, automatically scanning and detecting violations across Ireland's hedgerows.

Impact & Benefits

Speed

Reduce investigation time from days to minutes, enabling faster response to violations.

🎯

Accuracy

AI-powered detection reduces false positives and improves violation identification rates.

🌍

Conservation

Protect thousands of birds and preserve Ireland's unique biodiversity heritage.

Visit Project

Making a Real Impact

Built by Tomás, Aditya, and Rosheen at Patch in just 6 weeks

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Approved by National Parks and Wildlife Services Ireland (NPWS)