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Explore AdaPenyu

Every turtle’s story startswith recognition

AdaPenyu helps identify individual sea turtles through their unique facial patterns

The Story Behind It

Turtles are being traded illegally

Traded as individuals, counted as a species.

Without individual identification, we can’t trace where a turtle came from

Flipper tags fall off

Require handling and can fall off

Satellite tracking
is also expensive

How AdaPenyu works?

Three steps only

  1. Photograph

    Take a photo of one or both sides of the sea turtle’s head

  2. Read the pattern

    The app detects the unique pattern

  3. Match

    AI compares the pattern with previous records to find a possible match

Turtle ID does NOT replace tags or satellites

It complements them with something every turtle is already wearing

What it does?

Zero contact

Identify turtles from images without adding another tag

Shared catalogue

Every sighting builds a shared turtle record

Evidence trail

Keep photos and observations together for future reference

Turtle photo capture in the AdaPenyu prototype
Shared turtle catalogue in the AdaPenyu prototype
Individual turtle record and body condition history

Current progress

Working prototype
and promising result

>90%model accuracy

Recognising patterns across sightings

Our prototype compares facial patterns to suggest potential matches for review

A turtle’s facial scales in one sighting
Facial scales photographed in another sighting

About Us

Citizens of the Sea

Where we come from

Apple Developer Academy Bali

Ways to contribute

  • Interviews

    Share how you monitor and identify turtles today

  • Practitioner feedback

    Review our flow and tell us what's missing

  • Photos

    Contribute turtle photos for development and evaluation

  • Field testing

    Try the prototype with your team on site

Contact

Start a conversation!

Researcher, conservationist, or potential collaborator, we’d love to hear from you!

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How does AdaPenyu recognize a turtle?

It looks at the unique facial patterns visible in a turtle photo to help identify an individual.

Does this replace tags or satellite tracking?

No. Facial pattern identification is designed to complement tags and satellites with a way to recognize a turtle from a photo.

Can I use the identification system today?

There is a working prototype with promising results. The identification backend and shared catalogue are not connected yet.

Which photo formats will uploads support?

Photo upload is planned for JPEG and PNG images; the upload flow is not connected yet.

Still have questions?

Start a conversation