SIMBA

• Vaid's ICS, Lucknow
• 05, Mar 2022

Why in  News?

The Gujarat forest department has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based software named SIMBA.

What is SIMBA?

SIMBA or Software with Intelligent Marking Based Identification of Asiatic lions is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based software developed to identify Asiatic lions individually.

The software has been developed by Hyderabad-based “teliolabs”.

How does SIMBA work?

Asiatic lions have unique whisker spots on either side of their muzzle. According to scientific studies, these precise patterns are highly variable and do not change over time.

SIMBA works with a deep machine learning technique to distinguish these precise patterns/marks to identify Asiatic lions individually.

The software can also give additional information like gender (male/female), name, microchip number, life-status (dead/alive), lactating (in case of female) among others.

What is the significance of SIMBA?

Firstly, it will be used for understanding population demographics and expanding conservation and management efforts towards Asiatic Lions.

Secondly, it can be used to create a library of data on the Asiatic lions with a unique identification number/ name.

Facts for Prelims :

Montreux Convention:

Turkey is set to implement Montreux convention on naval passage through Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. This would allow Turkey to limit the movement of Russian warships between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

What is the Montreux Convention?

Montreux Convention is an international agreement governing the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey. The convention was signed in 1936 at the Montreux Palace in Switzerland.

The convention gives Turkey certain control over the passage of warships from the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits.

Peacetime passage: Warships can pass the straits by prior diplomatic notification with certain limitations on the weight of the ships and arms they carry — and depending on whether the ship belongs to a Black Sea nation or not.

Wartime passage: The pact gives Turkey the right to regulate the transit of naval warships and to block the straits to warships belonging to the countries involved in the conflict.