Gunshot: Phoenix Zoo

To protect the endangered jaguars of Costa Rica, the ASU Cloud Innovation Center (ASU CIC) has partnered with the Phoenix Zoo. The ASU CIC is building a gunshot detection prototype to identify poachers in La Amistad-Pacific Park. La Amistad is designed to be a safe haven for the endangered animals of Costa Rica, however poachers often sneak into the remote parts of the preserve to hunt the jaguars. The technology used in this challenge is the same as that used in the challenge for the Phoenix Police Department, however it has been modified for use in Costa Rica.

With close to 2,000 square kilometers of tropical forest in La Amistad, including the highest point in Costa Rica, it can be extremely difficult to monitor for poachers. Oftentimes, it is difficult to identify the location of poachers and the terrain makes it difficult to find them. This difficulty leads to the endangered species being poached and sold, decreasing their already dwindling numbers. 

The Gunshot detection prototype uses machine learning to identify gunshots. The ASU CIC built a sensor system from scratch to run a highly accurate detection algorithm. The algorithm was developed at ASU and identifies the discharge of a firearm in a completely different way than existing commercial solutions. The system uses LoRa networking to reduce both cost and energy use (which in turn reduces cost and complexity of installation). The system provides the specific location, time, number of shots fired and caliber of firearm involved directly to users through SMS text message. 

To customize the system to the forests of Costa Rica, this prototype is encased in a waterproof box. The forests have high rainfall and humidity, both of which could cause real damage to the microphone. The waterproofing process was done carefully so as not to reduce the effectiveness of the detection system.