SEM Technologies Overview GeMS ↗AI Smart Devices (IoT)

A solar-powered biota monitoring unit on a tripod in a field of tall grass under a cloudy sky

Smart devices that keep watch when no one is on site

biota is SEM's growing family of field devices. They monitor, measure, and make decisions on-site, sending only what matters to your team.

Want better monitoring coverage? Let's talk

What makes it smart

The thinking happens in the field

Most monitoring equipment just records. Someone has to visit the site, collect the data and spend days going through it, often weeks after the moment has passed.

biota devices run a small AI model onboard. This is called edge computing: the analysis happens at the "edge" of the network, out on site, rather than back in an office.

Traditional recorder

Record everything→Collect weeks later→Review by hand

Thousands of hours of data. Answers arrive after the season is over.

biota smart device

Listen→Decide on the device→Alert in minutes

Only the important moments are sent. Your team can act the same day.

Field story · Summer 2026

Protecting a threatened species at an active mine

Our client needed to know when a threatened species was nearby so work could be planned around them, and so the biota system could be validated in the field. We installed a solar-powered biota unit on site in Labrador. All summer, it listened for the species, recognized them on the device even over machinery noise, and sent each detection over the cell network to a live project dashboard.

Ran on its own all season, powered by the sun
Recognized calls on site, with no internet connection needed to decide
Flagged detections within minutes, with location, time and a sound clip
Reviewed by SEM biologists to confirm alerts and label false positives

Close-up of the biota unit's weatherproof case with an 'Environmental Monitoring in Progress' notice

Live detectionCall recognizedSent to the project dashboard with a sound clip for review

How a biota unit works

Four steps, all on its own

Sense

A microphone or sensor captures sound, weather, air or water readings.

Decide

An AI model on the device checks for what you care about, such as a species call.

Send

Only results are sent, by cell signal or long-range radio. If the signal drops, it waits and sends later.

Review

Your team sees results on a dashboard, and our experts confirm what was found.

What biota can monitor

One platform, many kinds of monitoring

Species at risk

Know when protected species are present, and plan work around them.

Pilot complete

Air quality

Low-cost particulate and weather sensing near work areas.

In development

Water levels

Get water level readings remotely with lower-cost sensors.

In development

Your use case

Have something to watch for? We can tailor the sensors and the model.

Ask us