This Nonprofit Is Using Gunshot-Detection Tech to Fight Illegal Deforestation

A San Francisco nonprofit is using a fascinating mix of machine learning and solar panel technology to help the fight against deforestation in Brazil. Rainforest Connection, led by founder and CEO Topher White, creates devices called Guardians that listen to the rainforest and send real-time alerts to combat illegal logging. White's startup places sensors high in the canopy of the Amazon Rainforest in Pará, northern Brazil. The devices are powered by solar panels and built using modified cellphones. Using machine learning and "bio-acoustic monitoring," White analyzes the noises recorded by the sensors, singles out these sounds, and pinpoints the location sent by the Guardian device.