SAS helps NatureServe to protect a biodiversity using artificial intelligence

On April 17, 2020 the SAS company announced that its tools will be used for data analysis on the most vulnerable animal species and plants. This partnership passes within a global initiative of SAS Data for Good. Rapid disappearance of flora and fauna – one of the most serious environmental problems. It is possible to stop extinction, defining what animals and plants are most vulnerable and what factors influence their life and the habitat. For this NatureServe — the organization which is engaged in protection of a biodiversity collects and analyzes data on 7 million known plants and animals. In the conditions of fast changing of climate these data should be updated at least once in five years. It is very difficult and expensive process which is usually executed manually. Besides, scientists should study a set of scientific works that causes additional inconveniences. To solve these problems, NatureServe integrated with SAS company which organized the first summit of social innovations for a research of methods of application of technologies in the ecological sector. During the summit the staff of SAS carried out brainstorming and participated in development of concepts on preserving of a biodiversity which would provide to NatureServe significant savings of time and means.

Using artificial intelligence and profound analytics of SAS became possible to reduce process of the manual analysis from hundreds of hours to several units. In addition, estimates which repeated each five-ten years earlier it is possible now it is possible to carry out more often. It will allow to document more carefully events and in time to take necessary steps for preserving of types.

SAS Text Analytics automates process of studying of scientific magazines which provide the information on specific types while SAS Data Management uses analytics by preparation of optional data. NatureServe can also use a free preview player of SAS Visual Analytics to have access to the results received from different sources. It can be texts, forecasts, geospatial and other systems.

In partnership with the SAS organization effectively collects and integrates data from numerous sources and now can partially automate process of filtering of records and calculation of information on rare species, including about their location and concentration of populations. Besides, for visualization of dynamics of a status of a type of SAS also checks and notes coordination errors, the absent data and metrics of uncertainty. In one data set from 85,000 selections of SAS Analytics helped NatureServe to use 50,000 data points which were usually discarded because of the wrong coding or null information.

Thanks to this centralized information source our experts quicker and more effectively estimate endangered species of plants and animals on Earth. Using SAS we can set the global standard of assessment of a status of a biodiversity. Data of NatureServe are concentrated on North America now, but the results achieved SAS can be extrapolated for assessment of types on a global scale and to increase the speed and accuracy of determination of the most vulnerable types. Now we can repeat this process on a permanent basis for many plants and animals and by that to help to prevent their extinction. We also receive detailed reports about results to document all process and to make a detailed plan of actions for future estimates, — Sean O'Brien, the president and the chief executive officer of NatureServe comments