The University of León and the Town Council of Fresno de la Vega, as part of the DIGIS3 project, have unveiled an innovative collaboration designed to place the municipality at the forefront of environmental digitalisation in rural settings.
The initiative includes expert mentoring in the use of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to monitor ecosystem services using on-site sensors, big data analysis systems, digital twins, and LiDAR technology. A second component involves a proof of concept (PoC) to implement and test tools for visual and acoustic detection and analysis of wildlife in near real-time within the municipality’s wooded areas.
The system will enable automated data processing and analysis, producing regular reports that quantify the biodiversity found in the poplar plantations throughout the year. It will also incorporate monitoring and control activities, alongside close collaboration with the town council’s technical team in interpreting the results.
As Professor Flor Álvarez Taboada, co-lead researcher of DIGIS3 at the University of León, explains: “We’re applying highly advanced technologies, using sensors and laser scanners to create digital twins of the poplar plantations, which will allow us to identify which species are present at different times of the year.” According to Taboada, while similar bird monitoring projects using camera traps exist elsewhere in Europe, “what’s truly innovative is the automated integration of all this data into the digital twin of the poplar plantation, using AI algorithms to identify macro- and mesofauna species automatically.”
Sensor Installation
Sensor installation in the pilot woodland area began on 15 May as part of a project initially running until December 2025. However, Professor Taboada noted that there are plans to continue beyond this date in order “to monitor biodiversity throughout the entire growth cycle of a poplar plantation and track changes in the types and abundance of fauna at different stages of forest development.” To this end, data from the mature poplar stand in Fresno will be complemented with data from younger plantations and natural riparian woodlands.
Biodiversity in Poplar Plantations
Fresno de la Vega’s mayor, Alfonso Melón, explained that the aim is to demonstrate how poplar plantations can support biodiversity that would not otherwise exist without such wooded areas. The objective is to record the movement of migratory birds and catalogue them “in a largely automated way” using the available technological tools.