Bear-dar: Early Detection Radar

— It’s a medium-range radar system that can survey a wide area. In this case, Polar Bears International is training it to detect and identify polar bears. 

— The idea is to develop an early warning radar system, which we are calling “bear-dar," to alert communities or remote camps of approaching polar bears. 

— As one of Polar Bears International’s Arctic Ambassador Centers, Assiniboine Park Zoo is helping with testing the radar’s ability to detect their resident polar bears.

— It has no negative impact on the bears.

— In our warming world, polar bears are forced to spend more and more time on land, where they risk encounters with people. To make sure both polar bears and people stay safe, it’s important to develop more safety options for communities, including an alert system that can warn them of approaching bears. 

— If people can spot a polar bear as it approaches, they’re better able to use non-lethal deterrents like noise-makers or flares to drive the bear away—preventing harm to both polar bears and people.

— The radar was originally designed by Spotter Global to be used by security and military personnel to warn of nearby operational threats like people in unauthorized areas or enemy activity. The radar units are built to withstand extreme weather, so a few years ago we decided to test whether it could detect polar bears and serve as an early warning system for Arctic communities and camps. 

— The research shows that these devices are highly effective in detecting polar bears and other moving animals or objects, even at night. Now, the goal is to fine-tune the AI to correctly identify polar bears from other animals or objects (e.g., people, moose, fox), triggering an alert before they hit the first road or the edge of town.

— When this radar “sees” a polar bear, it can be programmed to sound an alarm, turn on a light (e.g., red light) or send a text message to designated responders.

— Wildlife managers in northern communities have shown interest in the radar systems. Beyond the human safety aspect, the radar has a pretty interesting science story. It also collects geospatial data, location information, and speed—data that could potentially help with other studies.

— Ground-based radar systems could complement the efforts of Churchill’s Polar Bear Alert officers, sending an alert of an approaching bear and giving officers time to respond in a non-lethal manner in areas with poor access or at times of reduced visibility.  

— Manitoba’s conservation officers do an amazing job of spotting approaching bears and responding to reports from citizens, but human patrols in the North can be limited by darkness, foggy weather, or whiteout snowstorms. 

— These systems could also help other northern communities that lack the resources for human patrols and could be used to protect remote camps and workstations.

— The system needs to be able to tell the difference between a polar bear and other movement on the landscape with a certain degree of accuracy.

— The AI within the radar tower needs more data to learn what is a polar bear and what is NOT - such as a person walking, or a caribou grazing, etc. 

— Thanks to its multiple bears in a known location, the Assiniboine Park Zoo has the ability to help calibrate a new application of this existing radar technology in a controlled setting. We know it will detect polar bears (and other species) consistently which will improve the system’s accuracy in detecting an approaching polar bear.

— Yes. Polar Bears International has tested different radar systems in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, over the past several years and determined that Spotter Global’s radar was a good fit for further research.

— From mid-May through mid-September 2024, the bear-dar radar tower will be set up at the Assiniboine Park Zoo to gather plenty of polar bear data. This will help train the AI to accurately identify the species.

— In the fall of 2024, the bear-dar radar tower will be relocated to the Hudson Bay coast for its final testing season in Churchill. After the in-the-field testing this fall, Polar Bears International plans to continue to collaborate with Spotter Global and partners to develop the bear-dar in other Arctic regions before Spotter Global eventually takes it to the market.

— Polar bears gather near Churchill every fall as they wait for the sea ice to return, so we know we reliably have polar bears to test.

— Polar Bears International already has vast infrastructure in place in Churchill to power its Polar Bear Cams and Tundra Connections® webcasts—having wireless and bandwidth was a big plus in deciding to test the radar there. 

— The town of Churchill supported the idea and welcomed the Polar Bears International team.

— RBC Tech For Nature gave two generous grants to support and expand the bear-detection project. 

— Utah’s Hogle Zoo, another Arctic Ambassador Center, fully funded the pilot program.

— Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, an Arctic Ambassador Center, helped us test and refine the radar.

— Individual donors gave to Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Week fundraiser to support the project.

— NMS Security helped install the Spotter radar and Milestone Systems helped store the data.

— Special thanks to the town of Churchill for their cooperation during the test phase of the project, and to Frontiers North Adventures for allowing Polar Bears International to mount a device on the Tundra Buggy Lodge.