August 21: Board of Park Commissioners, Cleveland Metroparks

Covered by Documenter Mikayla Coleman (notes)

How the Cleveland Metroparks uses AI 

Cleveland Metroparks staff recently explained to park commissioners how the system is using artificial intelligence in its operations. 

At an Aug. 21 commission meeting, Chief Information Officer Anthony Joy explained how cameras are detecting “unwanted behavior” from human visitors, such as using non-designated entry points into the park. The Metroparks also has plans to pilot an AI program meant to detect firearms. 

Wildlife in the park system are also being tracked and categorized, according to Metroparks ecologist Jonathon Cepek, who presented on the ways AI is being used to assist on the biological side of park operations. 

AI is used to take inventory of the wildlife present in the parks, according to Cepek, who said AI allows staff to spot people and vehicles, “but it also allows us to go through the animals and identify them to species and collect associated information about those animals.” 

AI’s first test in the Metroparks was identifying and categorizing the red-rumped agouti, a small rodent that lives in the park system. 

Red-rumped agouti, Cleveland Metroparks
Red-rumped agouti, Cleveland Metroparks Credit: Cleveland Metroparks

Cepek said the Metroparks system has processed over 16 million images using AI technology.  

Zoo research curator Diana Koester presented on how the Metroparks uses AI to track the location and amount of time spent there by species of wildlife. It uses heat maps to show an animal’s activity level in the area. They can also track behaviors like breeding and feeding by collecting AI data on how and when the animals are interacting with each other. 

“A person can just review a couple minutes of footage,” said Koester, “as opposed to hours and hours to find those things.”

The Metroparks also uses AI technology to detect distinct events such as an animal falling or giving birth and other actions that trigger alarms for the zoo’s Animal Care team.

“It exponentially increases the amount of behavior data collection that we can utilize to help us make decisions,” said Koester. “Like animals going into labor, detecting those things and sending flags to people’s emails or phones so you don’t have somebody that’s staying up all night staring at a camera.” 

Cepek and Koester pointed out downfalls to the technology, such as inaccuracies in identifying certain species of animals and detecting when animals are at rest. 

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Suggested Reading

Zoo admission revenue down 30%

Cleveland Metroparks’ Zoo admissions revenue is down 30% this year, according to Metroparks Chief Financial Officer Wade Steen, a decrease of  $1.5 million. Steen and other officials cited poor weather and the closure of the Rainforest for renovations for the decrease in revenue. Total zoo revenue is down only 9% on the year due to a quarterly payment received from the Zoological Society, according to Steen. 

Other areas of the Metroparks taking a hit in revenue this year, Steen said, include golf courses, nature stores and the East 55th Street Marina. 

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