AI application tool supports managers and businesses in quickly identifying wood species

WoodID, an AI application tool for rapid identification of wood species, has been officially launched recently. This application is expected to open a new step in state management and support for wood industry enterprises.

Within the framework of the forum “Ensuring legal wood materials towards sustainable forestry development in Vietnam” recently held in Ho Chi Minh City, the tool to support rapid identification of wood species - WoodID was officially launched.

The launching event of the wood identification tool - WoodID was held in mid-September in Ho Chi Minh City.

As the first AI application in Vietnam that allows for quick and accurate identification of 260 wood species commonly imported into Vietnam, WoodID was built by the Department of Forestry and Forestry, the German International Cooperation Organization, the Vietnam Forestry Science Institute and the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology - PTIT.

Notably, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Trong Khanh, Head of Information Systems 1 Department, Faculty of Information Technology of PTIT and the research team participated right from the beginning of the research project to develop a tool to support wood identification, from proposing technology, developing identification solutions, optimizing AI models to perfecting the application.

WoodID is built on a database of 260 wood species commonly imported into Vietnam.

According to the research team, WoodID is built on a database of 260 species of wood commonly imported into Vietnam, including many rare species according to the CITES list (a list of endangered wild animals and plants classified into 3 appendices to regulate international trade activities to ensure that their survival in the wild is not threatened, implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - PV).

Each wood sample is photographed with hundreds of images from multiple angles, analyzed using modern technology combined with machine learning algorithms to ensure reliability. PTIT's research team focused on the following steps: Integrating and training an AI model to recognize wood images; optimizing processing speed so that results are returned almost immediately; designing a mobile application that is easy to use, suitable even in field work environments without Internet.

Experts' analysis shows that, in the past, to verify wood species, customs officers often had to send samples for appraisal, which took many days and was costly; now, with the support of the WoodID application, users only need less than 1 second for the system to provide wood identification results with high accuracy.

From there, customs officers at the border gate can quickly get an overview of the imported/exported timber batch. Even forest rangers, even without an Internet connection, can know exactly what kind of wood it is. In addition, the WoodID application is also designed to be friendly and easy to access, allowing officers without specialized forestry knowledge to operate and use it easily.

The special feature of the WoodID application is the ability to integrate AI technology at the border with internationally standardized wood data, so that the recognition results not only serve domestic management but also meet the strict requirements of the export market.

In Vietnam, the WoodID application has been tested at a number of Customs and Forest Protection units.

The birth of the WoodID application, the result of a research project with significant contributions from PTIT lecturers, is expected to effectively support the management of imported and exported wood as well as the operations of wood industry enterprises, especially in the context of the Vietnamese forestry industry promoting digital transformation.

Managing the origin and species of wood plays an important role in making the supply chain transparent, preventing illegal timber trade and meeting international standards. Therefore, applying AI to forestry management not only supports the authorities in management, but also contributes to improving transparency and creating trust with major wood export markets such as the EU, the US and Japan.

The WoodID application has been tested in Vietnam, Belgium and Ghana. Specifically, this tool has been tested by the Department of Wood Industry Development in Takoradi (Ghana) and some researchers at the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Belgium. In Vietnam, WoodID has been successfully tested at the Customs Sub-Departments of Regions II and III; at the same time, it has been introduced by the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection to all 34 Forest Protection Sub-Departments nationwide.

The successful testing in Vietnam, Belgium and Ghana has demonstrated the wide applicability and reliability of the system, contributing to affirming Vietnam's position in the effort to build a transparent, sustainable forestry sector and deeply integrate into the global supply chain.

Representative of the WoodID application research team, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Trong Khanh shared: “We are honored to contribute a small part to bring AI technology directly to serve state management work. Hopefully, this application will better support Forestry, Customs officers and businesses, in line with the spirit of Resolution 57 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology development, innovation and national digital transformation”.

According to the research team, in the coming time, the team will continue to coordinate with management agencies and international partners to expand the wood database, improve the ability to identify and apply WoodID in practice.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cong-cu-ung-dung-ai-ho-tro-nha-quan-ly-doanh-nghiep-nhan-dien-nhanh-loai-go-2444861.html