The crested ibis, known as the “Oriental Gem”, is a first-class protected species in China. It is a crucial part of the biodiversity that exists in the Qinling Mountains and serves as a significant symbol of the region’s ecological culture.
In recent years, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (China Mobile)’s Shaanxi Company has proactively implemented the protection strategy prerequisite for development in China’s west, using information technology to support ecological conservation. The company has widely applied 5G, Internet of Things and big data technologies to enhance the protection of the Qinling ecosystem, with a particular focus on the conservation of the crested ibis.
The company has established three key platforms as part of its efforts: The Crested Ibis Monitoring Platform, the 5G+AI Monitoring and Analysis Platform for Crested Ibis Roosting Sites and the Crested Ibis Trajectory Big Data Platform (BirdNet). These platforms have provided advanced technological support for crested ibis conservation.
The crested ibis, known as the “Oriental Gem”, is a first-class protected species in China. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The company, in collaboration with the Alashan SEE Northwest Project Center and the Shaanxi provincial forestry bureau, developed the Crested Ibis Monitoring Platform in 2018. This platform uses dedicated internet lines and surveillance cameras to monitor feeding areas in rice paddies.
In 2022, the company collaborated with the Crested Ibis Conservation Station to investigate the species population and roosting habits. To this end, the company, in cooperation with the Hanzhong Crested Ibis Conservation Bureau, built the 5G+Wild Crested Ibis Monitoring and Analysis Platform. This platform employs advanced IoT devices and AI to monitor key information such as the number and distribution of crested ibises and to analyze their living environment using big data.
In the Yangxian area, China Mobile Shaanxi has installed wildlife cameras, high-definition cloud cameras and PTZ cameras at two major crested ibis roosting sites. These devices, integrated with 5G and AI technologies, enable real-time monitoring of the birds. The backend system utilizes bird recognition algorithms and AI to detect, classify and capture images of the birds. All data is transmitted via China Mobile’s 5G network to the monitoring platform, facilitating the collection of data on ibis numbers and distribution.
Currently, China Mobile Shaanxi is collaborating with the Crested Ibis Conservation Bureau to develop BirdNet. This project explores the use of NB-IoT and BeiDou technologies for tracking and analyzing wild crested ibis movements. The project involves equipping the birds with sensor-embedded leg rings that transmit data via IoT cards. The data is aggregated using the OneNet platform, providing information on ibis locations, flight trajectories and meteorological data.
Once complete, this system will enable comprehensive monitoring of the crested ibis across air, sky and land, providing foundational data for the ibis database.
By 2023, the global population of crested ibises had surpassed 11,000, with over 6,000 in Hanzhong. China Mobile will continue to leverage advanced technologies such as 5G and AI to support the stable reproduction and development of this rare species.
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
