Sea turtles face growing threats from climate change, pollution and habitat loss – making innovative conservation efforts more urgent than ever.
But there's a powerful ally in their corner: AI.
We’re pretty familiar with sea turtles here at SAS. But, for those who need a refresher, SAS has been collaborating with the UNC Center for Galapagos Studies to help protect endangered sea turtles using SAS® Visual Analytics and the ConserVision App.
Through this work, citizen data scientists can match images of unique turtle facial markings, which helps to train SAS computer vision models to identify individual turtles.
People behind the project
Among the team of data scientists working to save the sea turtles were two from opposite sides of the world – Jonny McElhinney, a data scientist at SAS from Scotland and Jason Colon, a data scientist at Thrivent, from the U.S.
McElhinney and Colon, who formerly worked at SAS, were provided 40,000 images from researchers and asked to train computer vision models to recognize the markings on turtles to help track them. You can hear some of their story of how they helped create this application in the video above.
“It’s so rare and unique for a large company like SAS to get involved with a project like saving sea turtles,” McElhinney said. “I don’t think many companies would actively encourage projects that aren’t directly revenue generating like this – it’s such a feel-good story for me.”
While computer vision is a technology both McElhinney and Colon actively work within their day-to-day jobs, this project allowed them to better their technical skills while working on a project they were passionate about.
“To me, the environment (and) preservation of species is something that is very important,” Colon said. “I thought that (being involved in this project) would allow me to do something that, in the long term, would make a substantial difference.”
Through volunteer projects, employees can collaborate with people and teams that they might not normally interact with regularly. McElhinney and Colon, though separated by an ocean, formed a lasting friendship. Over the summer, the two were even able to meet in person. “The people, the friendships and the relationships you make through projects like this are just as important as the subject matter,” McElhinney said.
Data for good
Projects like this show how technology can make a real-world difference – not just through innovation but also through the people who power it.
At the heart of this story is a shared mission: protecting endangered sea turtles. The technology is powerful, but it's the people – coming together across continents – who make it meaningful. Their collaboration is a reminder that data can be a force for good when guided by purpose and passion.
That message has resonated beyond the project itself. The video above, titled "People Behind the Project" was recently named the Inspirational Video Winner in the 2025 Ragan Employee Communication Awards. It highlighted not just the innovative work behind the ConserVision app but also the human connections it forged along the way. It’s one more way this effort continues to inspire – all in the name of saving sea turtles.
Think you can spot a sea turtle match?
Mark Wood contributed the video for this story.
