Virginia Tech researchers to head to Brazil’s Amazon rainforest for biodiversity survey competition

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A team of researchers from Virginia Tech will soon be heading to Brazil’s Amazon rainforest to survey the biodiversity of a square kilometer of the forest while competing with other teams.

According to the university, there cannot be any human interaction with the forest, and teams have 72 hours to survey a square kilometer of rainforest. A $10 million prize will be awarded to the winning team.

On July 8, Virginia Tech’s team will be ferried up the Rio Negro in the middle of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The team will have one day to survey the biodiversity and two days to analyze and interpret what they found.

“To win, a team must develop the fastest, most efficient automated technologies for identifying species at every level of the rainforest, from canopy to floor,” the university said.

One tool used by the team will be Limelight, which collects images, acoustics and DNA data. Drones will take the Limelight devices throughout the canopy, and other technologies will help researchers identify species.

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