Initiative #258

Description of the initiative

Development of a national biotelemetry platform that standardizes the processing of acoustic animal tracking data. Automated workflows that apply Random Forest and neural network methods to identify movement patterns, mortality events, and other biologically significant behaviours will standardize quality control, improve data interoperability, and provide self-service analytical tools for scientists and managers across multiple departments, supporting faster evidence-based decision making.

Problem statement

Biotelemetry programs process millions of animal tracking records annually using inconsistent, largely manual workflows. This results in duplicated effort, reduced reproducibility, data silos between organizations, and delays in generating science advice. This initiative will improve productivity by automating data processing, standardizing analytical methods, reducing time spent on data management, and enabling efficient collaboration and data sharing across departments and regions.

Expected outcome if AI is selected

Success would look like the deployment of a national biotelemetry platform that automates > 50% of routine telemetry data processing tasks, reduces data preparation time by more > 50%, enables cross-departmental access to standardized FAIR-compliant datasets, and supports faster generation of science advice through self-service analytical tools and machine learning outputs. The platform would be adopted by multiple DFO regions and additional partner organizations.

Risks

Integrating telemetry data from multiple regions and systems may require substantial coordination, data standardization, and validation efforts. Deployment timelines could be affected by data-sharing agreements or partner onboarding. User adoption may require training and change management. These risks are mitigated by existing prototype codebases, established national telemetry partnerships, available datasets, and proven analytical methods.

Strategic alignment

• Sustainable management of Canadian fisheries

Areas of impact

• Time

Feasibility

• ✓Data is available and usable