A Chinese white dolphin is seen swimming with her calf in Xiamen. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A smart monitoring system for a national marine reserve in Xiamen has won first prize in the 2026 Smart City Pioneer Awards at the 19th Smart City Conference in Tianjin, held from July 17 to 18.

Developed by Xiamen Research Center of Urban Planning Digital Technology for the Xiamen Chinese White Dolphin and Amphioxus Nature Reserve Affairs Center, the system employs geographic information systems (GIS) and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the monitoring of rare marine species.

Marine reserves have long faced challenges including inefficient manual patrols, difficulties in identifying and tracking rare species, and limited monitoring coverage. The system has addressed these issues through AI-based identification of Chinese white dolphins, automatic camera zoom adjustment, and video-map integration for positioning.

The system has recorded more than 1,100 dolphin activity locations and monitored 210 dolphin sightings, with AI identification accuracy holding at about 85 percent, according to reserve data. It has helped shift dolphin conservation efforts from traditional monitoring and observation toward more intelligent and precise tracking.

Four AI-enabled pan-tilt cameras have been installed at key sites in Xiamen's western waters. The system can issue alerts for suspected dolphin identifications, predict movement routes, and coordinate nearby cameras for tracking. It also uses AI algorithms to identify individual dolphins from boat survey photos.