In the past few years, machine learning has highlighted the strength of information technology in discovering the fundamentals of life and the environment. With the volume of data generated every day, it has become necessary to acknowledge smart analysis solutions to know more about the world we live in. In particular, machine learning aims to develop classifying languages simple enough to be understood easily by the human. Moreover, to get into layers of detailed study of ecology, Google’s DeepMind has collaborated with ecologists and conservationists to develop machine learning methods to help study the behavioral dynamics of an entire African animal community in the Serengeti National Park and Grumeti Reserve in Tanzania.

According to a DeepMind’s blog, the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is globally unparalleled in its biodiversity, hosting an estimated 70 large mammal species and 500 bird species, thanks in part to its unique geology and varied habitat types. Around 10 years ago, the Serengeti Lion Research program installed hundreds of motion-sensitive cameras within the core of the protected area which is triggered by passing wildlife, capturing animal images frequently, across vast spatial scales, allowing researchers to study animal behavior, distribution, and demography with great spatial and temporal resolution.

This has allowed the team to collect and store millions of photos. To date, volunteers from across the world have helped to identify and count the species in the photos by hand using the Zooniverse web-based platform, which hosts many similar projects for citizen-scientists.

This comprehensive study has resulted in a rich dataset, Snapshot Serengeti, featuring labels and counts for around 50 different species. Moreover, to help researchers unlock this data with greater efficiency, DeepMind has used the Snapshot Serengeti dataset to train machine learning models to automatically detect, identify, and count animals.

DeepMind says, “Camera trap data can be hard to work with–animals may appear out of focus, and can be at many different distances and positions with respect to the camera. With expert input from leading ecologist and conservationist Dr. Meredith Palmer, our project quickly took shape, and we now have a model that can perform on par with, or better than, human annotators for most of the species in the region.” Most importantly, this method shortens the data processing pipeline by up to 9 months, which has immense potential to help researchers in the field.

In a more obvious manner the field work is quite challenging, and it is fraught with unexpected hazards such as failing power lines and limited or no internet access. DeepMind is preparing the software for deployment in the field and looking at ways to safely run its pre-trained model with modest hardware requirements and little Internet access. The company has worked closely with its collaborators in the field to be sure that its technology is used responsibly. Once in place, researchers in the Serengeti will be able to make direct use of this tool, helping provide them with up-to-date species information to better support their conservation efforts.

The DeepMind Science Team works to leverage AI to tackle key scientific challenges that impact the world. The company has developed a robust model for detecting and analyzing animal populations in-field data and has helped to consolidate data to enable the growing machine learning community in Africa to build AI systems for conservation which, it hopes, will scale to other parks. DeepMind says, “We’ll next be validating our models by deploying them in the field and tracking their progress. Our hope is to contribute towards making AI research more inclusive–both in terms of the kinds of domains we apply it to, and the people developing it. Hence, participating in meetings like Indaba is key for helping build a global team of AI practitioners who can deploy machine learning for diverse projects.”

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Adobe today announced that is partnering with Avanade, Microsoft and Accenture’s joint venture, to help customers rapidly develop, implement and derive value from Adobe and Microsoft’s digital business solutions. Marketers will benefit from their combined capabilities to excel in CXM. Avanade will build an Adobe practice, connecting Adobe Experience Cloud with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Azure to provide each client with a customized solution specific to its unique needs and objectives. The Accenture Microsoft Business Group will help accelerate these opportunities.

Avanade is Microsoft’s a system integrator and operates in close alliance with Accenture Interactive,  and Adobe’s 2018 Global Digital Experience Solution Partner of the Year.

“The partnership with Adobe and Microsoft puts us in an excellent position to help our clients create hyper-relevant, future-ready experiences at scale,” commented Pam Maynard, President, Product and Innovation, Avanade.  “Recognized alongside Accenture as Microsoft’s 2019 Digital Transformation Partner of the Year, our focus on human centered experiences, through our Digital Studios, will bridge the gap between Dynamics 365 and Adobe to help our clients build best of breed marketing and sales solutions.”

“Avanade is the market leader for Dynamics 365 solutions, recognized for 11 consecutive years as our Alliance SI Partner of the Year,” said Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner Chief, Microsoft. “The combination of Microsoft solutions, Adobe products, and Avanade, will help organizations transform their businesses and deliver the personalized, exceptional experiences that our customers expect.”

Leveraging Adobe and Microsoft’s joint solutions

Avanade will deliver Adobe and Microsoft’s end-to-end marketing, sales and service solutions to customers, including:

• The integration of Adobe Experience Manager (part of Adobe Marketing Cloud in Adobe Experience Cloud) and Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Azure and Azure Machine Learning to unify sales and marketing activities and create compelling,personalized experiences online and in-person based on customer intent.
• The integration of Adobe Campaign (part of Marketing Cloud in Experience Cloud) for experience delivery and Microsoft Dynamics 365 to create a single view of the customer that can be used to personalize 1:1 experiences across touchpoints.

Avanade will focus on customer verticals, including banking, healthcare, retail, loyalty and membership, insurance and automotive.

Leaning into ODI

“Nearly every customer and prospect I speak with acknowledges that integrating siloed data to obtain a comprehensive view of the data consumers’ share is one of – if not the – top business challenge for their companies. ODI aims to solve this industry-wide challenge by transforming static, siloed data into structured, actionable information that provides an improved view of customer interactions and can be leveraged across enterprise solutions to further delight consumers.” Wrote Jay Dettling Vice President of Global Partners at Adobe on Adobe’s official blog.

Aligned to the broader work that Accenture is undertaking as an inaugural partner of ODI, Avanade plans to leverage ODI in the future to help enterprises create new connections across previously siloed data by mapping natural customer journeys to data in Adobe and Microsoft solutions, and external sources like social media. As a result, marketing, sales and service departments will be able to more efficiently glean insights and share an enriched view of each interaction. Avanade will work in lockstep with Microsoft and Adobe to deploy a framework that unlocks the value of customer data and exponentially improves customers experience.

With the help of partners like Avanade, Adobe and Microsoft are helping enterprises reinvent CXM every day.

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