Spoor, a Scandanavian startup company localized in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, is changing the pace and process of wildlife monitoring. They do that through highly advanced computer vision technology. Launched in 2021, Spoor aims to balance industrial growth with environmental conservation by focusing on reducing the impact of wind turbines on local bird populations. Spoor is personally at the cutting edge of an industry that is quickly taking root. This dual-purpose goal seeks to reconcile energy production with the protection of our biodiversity.
The company’s software uses cutting-edge computer vision to monitor and detect bird populations and their migratory pathways. In fact, it can even find birds 2.5 kilometers in advance (or around 1.5 miles). This unique feature enables it to easily adapt to any high-resolution camera, making it a highly versatile solution for various operational environments. Spoor’s technology was first limited to following birds only up to 1 kilometer away. Thanks to recent improvements, that range has now doubled, further amplifying the power of this tracking.
Today, Spoor continues to be at work on three continents. It has partnerships with more than 20 of the world’s largest energy companies, a testament to its growing influence in the renewable energy industry. Just last month, the company raised an additional €8 million ($9.3 million) in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by SET Ventures with high participation from Ørstead Ventures, Superorganism and other strategic investors.
Aske Helseth co-founder and CEO of Spoor shared his dedication to their mission to create a world where industry harmonizes with nature. His work in this space was first piqued by observing the shortcomings of existing data collection methods for wind farms. He personally highlighted it, saying, “The expectations from the regulators are increasing but the industry doesn’t have a fantastic tool to.” Almost every country has acknowledged the chasm between intent and actual monitoring. Consequently, they are now using their Federal oversight to enforce strict placement and operational guidelines on wind farms to protect local avian species.
Helseth went into detail on the outdated practices used to monitor birds. “A lot of people [go out] in the field with binoculars and trained dogs to find out how many birds are colliding with the turbines.” These techniques are both time-consuming and imprecise in ways that technology today can easily address.
Spoor’s software has sophisticated features with the aim of allowing contexts to be monitored more effectively and with greater precision. Such precision is key to meeting regulations intended to safeguard bird populations. For example, the ability to search by specific species deepens its functionality. Helseth added, “Finding out what species the bird is for some of the clients, you throw in an additional layer. This last feature is especially important for our clients who have flooding requirements, as many of them must provide this data to regulatory agencies.
As curiosity around Spoor’s technology continues to ramp up, there’s promise for its uses to go far beyond just monitoring our feathered friends. The company is now getting questions about its tracking capabilities for other objects of similar size. This nascent interest illustrates a greater need for its comprehensive and creative solutions.
