A new radar system will warn Arctic communities when polar bears are nearby. The "Bear-dar" will help prevent dangerous encounters as the animals spend more time on land.
An innovative radar-based early warning system known as "Bear-dar" has been developed to notify people living in northern communities and those working in isolated camps whenever a polar bear is detected nearby.
The Bear-dar system is said to potentially revolutionise safety in the Arctic, offering residents crucial time to prepare and avoid potentially dangerous encounters with these powerful predators. Not only does this safeguard human lives, but it also helps prevent situations where bears might be harmed.
Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of polar bears and their sea ice habitat, has joined forces with Spotter Global, a company that specialises in compact surveillance radar systems, to create the groundbreaking system. The entities have described the Bear-dar as a medium-range radar system capable of monitoring large areas.
As the Arctic warms, polar bears are spending more time on land, which increases the likelihood of encounters with people, the NGO explains on its official website. Early detection consequently allows people to use non-lethal deterrents, such as noise-makers or flares, to scare bears away, reducing the risk of injury to either party.
Bear-dar's radar units are reportedly engineered to withstand the toughest weather conditions. Additionally, during development, the team fine-tuned the artificial intelligence to accurately tell the difference between polar bears and other animals or objects, such as people, moose, or foxes.
When a bear is detected, the system can be set to trigger alarms, activate warning lights, or send text alerts to designated responders. The radar also collects valuable data on bear movements, which could assist with further research.
"Polar bears, they're sort of built to evade radar to some extent, and part of that is the fur," Geof York, Senior Director at Polar Bears International, told local news. "They have this soft cover that isn't a hard target for radar."
Initial testing took place in Churchill, Manitoba, a prime location since polar bears gather there each autumn waiting for sea ice to return. While conservation officers in Manitoba do an excellent job of monitoring bears, their efforts can be limited by darkness, fog, or blizzards.
Ground-based radar like Bear-dar can complement these patrols, providing alerts in poor visibility and hard-to-reach areas. The system could also benefit other northern communities with fewer resources, as well as protect remote camps and work sites, according to the NGO.
To improve the AI's accuracy, the team needed more data to teach it how to distinguish polar bears from other animals. The Assiniboine Park Zoo, with its resident bears, provided a controlled environment for calibrating the technology.
In 2024, the Bear-dar tower was installed at the zoo, confirming its ability to reliably detect polar bears and other species. The next phase saw Bear-dar moved to the Hudson Bay coast for final field testing in Churchill, where it performed exceptionally well in both spotting and identifying polar bears.
After years of development, Bear-dar has now been deployed in Eureka, Nunavut, its first real-world installation and its northernmost deployment yet. With support from the Canadian government, researchers will continue to gather data in 2025 and 2026, aiming to refine this groundbreaking safety tool and expand its use across more communities.