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- Agrilculture<\/li>\n
- Water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
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- Biodiversity<\/li>\n
- Climate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
The goal is to transform the way society monitors, models, and manages Earth\u2019s natural resources. This April, every Microsoft Store in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia includes a demonstration of the Seek by iNaturalist app<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The app encourages outdoor exploration and learning by using image recognition technology powered by the Microsoft Azure platform to help identify plants and animals from people\u2019s photos. Users are encouraged to explore nature in their neighborhood by earning badges for finding different species and completing challenges.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/microsoft-stores-partner-with-inaturalist-to-help-visitors-celebrate-earth-month.jpg\")
The Seek by iNaturalist app uses image recognition technology powered by the Microsoft Azure platform to help identify plants and animals from people\u2019s photos.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Seek app does not collect personally identifiable information<\/a>. An account is not needed and all achievements and badges are stored on your device. However, it is relying on a computer vision model trained solely on photos submitted and identified by the iNaturalist community<\/a>. The iNaturalist users who choose to share their photos are creating quality data for other nature lovers seeking to better understand and protect nature.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the power of AI is the more people use it, the better it gets,\u201d said Sandra Andrews, head of marketing and experience for Microsoft Store. \u201cBy taking a picture of a plant or wildlife, you are doing your part to make the system smarter while becoming a citizen scientist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrews envisions the Microsoft Store retail experience as a great opportunity to teach and engage customers. \u201cWe want our customers to feel a sense of surprise and delight,\u201d Andrews says. \u201cMost retail environments feel transactional, but at Microsoft Store we want our customer experience to be more interactive. It\u2019s about helping you achieve more and about bringing that technology to life. We want to make you aware of how technology can positively impact your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Andrews, Earth Month is a perfect opportunity to give customers more than just a typical retail experience.<\/p>\n
![\"Sandra](\"http:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/microsoft-stores-partner-with-inaturalist-to-help-visitors-celebrate-earth-month-1.jpg\")
Sandra Andrews, head of marketing and experiences at Microsoft Store, uses the Seek by iNaturalist app to identify plants in her community.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cWe work to make Microsoft come to life in our retail stores, which I think about as learning centers, making them destinations to help people achieve more,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are a physical manifestation of the Microsoft mission statement: to help every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Earth Month experience at Microsoft retail outlets also helps demonstrate the company\u2019s commitment to the environment. For example:<\/p>\n
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- Microsoft helps protect 15 million acres of forests.<\/li>\n
- Microsoft operates 100% carbon neutral.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
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- Microsoft\u2019s packaging is 72% recycled materials.<\/li>\n
- Surface and Xbox are 95% recyclable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Other in-store Earth Month initiatives: <\/strong><\/h2>\n