ACEMS in the media

A new method of predicting koala habitats has drastically improved the accuracy of koala mapping, with researchers hoping it will lead to better-planned habitats for the marsupials. Researchers from QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers took the already-established technology of heat-seeking koala-spotting drones and 360-degree virtual reality imagery and added it to traditional ground surveys.

ACEMS researchers have developed statistical tools that could allow for real-time monitoring of Queensland’s waterways, in an effort to manage water quality and run-off to the Great Barrier Reef.

Every time we Google something or log on to a social media platform, algorithms are fast at work recording and responding to what we do to make our online experience more convenient. Our online habits and digital footprints are turned into data. But what happens to these vast amounts of information? Should we be concerned about who we are trusting with it? What does a biased algorithm mean? ACEMS Chief Investigator Kate Smith-Miles talked about these issues on 2SER-FM.

A team of Australian statisticians led by ACEMS Deputy Director Kerrie Mengersen have built a virtual reality so conservationists can work on programs to save the endangered Peruvian jaguars without trekking through the jungle.

Prof David Balding's DNA analysis techniques helped convict one of Scotland’s most notorious killers, Angus Sinclair, for the infamous ‘World’s End’ murders of two women, 37 years after they had been killed during which time the DNA became highly degraded.

No more 'heads' or 'tails' in the Big Bash League. Instead, the batting order for a BBL match will be decided by the tried-and-tested method of backyard cricketers everywhere: the bat flip. But just how fair is that? ACEMS Associate Investigator Stephen Woodcock (UTS) takes a somewhat light-hearted look at the science and stats behind this move in this story in The Conversation.