A Japanese information services provider has launched an AI-powered solution for data acquisition, which can quantify and simulate changes in the marine environment to support blue carbon and biodiversity initiatives.
Tokyo-listed Fujitsu has introduced a technology featuring the use of AI and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) as part of its research efforts to create an ‘ocean digital twin’, which can be used to “study highly accurate reproductions of underwater ecosystems to predict changes in the environment, as well as simulate the possible effects of conservation measures”, it announced Tuesday.
Fujitsu in a statement said it aims to expand the measurement targets of this technology to include seaweed, which absorbs a large amount of blue carbon, creating an ocean digital twin for seaweed beds by FY 2026.
The company has conducted a field trial in the waters near Okinawa prefecture’s Ishigaki island with the National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) for verification purposes, successfully acquiring precise 3D data for mapping coral reefs.
“[The technology] will support companies and local governments in planning measures including the estimation of carbon stored in seaweed beds, measures to conserve and cultivate new seaweed beds, and initiatives to promote and conserve biodiversity in coral reefs,” the company said.
In the case of blue carbon, 3D data can be used as pre-verification measures to determine the biomass of plant life in a given area and calculate the amount of CO2 absorbed, Fujitsu said.
Correctly measuring carbon storage in marine ecosystems is considered one of the main challenges for developing successful blue carbon projects.
“Biological is also incorporated to perform time-series simulations of the growth of underwater organisms. This makes it possible to simulate changes in CO2 absorption when a certain marine ecosystem conservation measure is taken, including the growth status of underwater organisms, and to verify the effectiveness of global warming countermeasures in advance,” the company said.
According to the statement, the technology can be used to acquire high-resolution 3D data from underwater life like seaweed and coral reefs, as well as man-made structures that affect aquatic resources such as wind turbine infrastructures with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).
It is built upon a real-time measurement technique originally developed by Fujitsu and the International Gymnastics Federation for an assistance system for gymnastics judging, which enables scanning from mobile AUVs even in rough currents and waves.
Meanwhile, AI can be used for image enhancement to ensure the accurate identification and measurement of targets “down to several centimetres even in murky waters” where the colour is distorted, Fujitsu said.
By Chia-Erh Kuo – chia-erh@carbon-pulse.com
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