Case Study

Jashpur Division Field Deployment
November 2025

Extended field deployment of GAJ-DASTAK thermal AI detection system in Jashpur Forest Division, Chhattisgarh. CAMPA-funded. Forest department validated. The deployment that transformed a prototype into a government-approved system.

CAMPA Funded Forest Dept. Validated November 2025 Work Order: Rs.7,78,800

GAJ-DASTAK unit tree-mounted in Jashpur Division forest with Hindi signage

Live Deployment -- Jashpur Division

Government Partnership

Under Senior IFS Guidance

The Jashpur deployment was conducted under the oversight of senior Indian Forest Service officers, establishing GAJ-DASTAK as a government-validated human-elephant conflict mitigation technology.

V. Sreenivasa Rao, IFS

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chhattisgarh -- Strategic guidance and CAMPA scheme integration

DFO Shashi Kumar, IFS

Divisional Forest Officer, Jashpur Division -- Direct field supervision and deployment validation

GAJ-DASTAK team with forest officer during Jashpur deployment

Field Coordination

GAJ-DASTAK team coordinating with Jashpur Forest Division officers during deployment setup and system handover

Planning meeting at government office for Jashpur deployment

Pre-Deployment Planning

Strategic planning meeting with forest department officials -- defining deployment parameters, site selection, and evaluation criteria

Context

Deployment Overview

GAJ-DASTAK unit active at night on tree mount in Jashpur forest

Active Night Operation

Unit operational during night hours -- thermal camera scanning, AI inference running, acoustic deterrence armed

Location Jashpur Forest Division, Chhattisgarh

Funding CAMPA Scheme

Supervision DFO Shashi Kumar (IFS)

Guidance PCCF V. Sreenivasa Rao (IFS), Senior CCF Officers

Thermal Camera High-resolution thermal, optimized optics

Compute Edge AI processor + hardware accelerator

Power Solar + Dual Battery System

Deterrence Acoustic (Bee sounds, variable audio)

Alerts Cellular alerts

Mounting Tree-mount (static deployment)

The Problem

Recurring Elephant Incursions Along the Jharkhand Corridor

Jashpur Division sits on one of Chhattisgarh's most active elephant movement corridors. Herds crossing from Jharkhand follow established routes through dense forest edges into agricultural land, arriving almost exclusively at night.

The consequences were predictable and devastating: crop raids destroyed livelihoods, night movement meant zero early warning, and human encounters carried lethal risk. Forest department teams patrolled on foot with torches and firecrackers — reactive measures that arrived after the damage was already done.

GPS-tagged elephant dung evidence confirming active elephant corridor in Jashpur

GPS Tagged Evidence

Elephant dung collected and GPS-tagged along active movement corridor -- confirming recurring incursion patterns through the Jashpur forest edge

The core challenge: how do you detect a silent, dark-skinned animal moving through dense forest at night, before it reaches people and crops?

Deployment Timeline

From Planning to Field Validation

Phase 1 -- Pre-Deployment

Government Coordination & Site Survey

Meetings with DFO Shashi Kumar and forest department staff. Site surveys conducted along known elephant corridors. Deployment location selected based on dung evidence, footprint tracks, and local intelligence from patrol teams.

Forest officer surveying deployment site in Jashpur Division

Site Survey

Forest officer surveying potential deployment site -- evaluating line of sight, approach paths, and terrain

Phase 2 -- Installation

Tree-Mount Installation & System Calibration

Unit mounted on selected tree at calculated height for optimal thermal coverage. Solar panel positioned for maximum exposure. Foundation pole installed for structural support. Camera angle calibrated for the expected elephant approach vector.

Pole foundation construction for GAJ-DASTAK unit in Jashpur

Infrastructure

Pole foundation being prepared -- structural support for tree-mounted unit

GAJ-DASTAK unit installed and active on tree mount

System Armed

Unit installed, powered on, and running continuous thermal AI inference

Phase 3 -- Active Monitoring

Night Operations & Detection Events

System operated autonomously through multiple night cycles. Thermal detections registered during peak elephant movement hours. SMS alerts delivered to forest department staff. Ground teams dispatched to verify detections.

Night Monitoring

Team monitoring system performance during active night operations -- verifying detections and response triggers in real-time

Phase 4 -- Critical Incident

Cable Tampering -- Human Interference Detected

Unit experienced unexpected cable disconnection. Investigation revealed deliberate human interference, not elephant damage. Wires selectively pulled and disconnected with no structural deformation to enclosure. This incident became a pivotal design lesson.

Phase 5 -- Validation

Government Validation Letter & CAMPA Approval

Forest department issued validation letter confirming successful deployment. CAMPA work orders approved with a total value of Rs.7,78,800. This established the procurement pathway that other forest divisions could follow.

AI Detection

Thermal AI in Action

The GAJ-DASTAK system uses a high-resolution thermal camera paired with an edge AI processor running optimized inference models. Every frame is analyzed in real-time -- detecting elephant thermal signatures in complete darkness, through fog, dust, and light rain.

Thermal detection screenshot showing AI analysis of thermal imagery

AI Inference Active

Thermal camera feed with AI overlay -- real-time detection analysis

Alternative thermal detection view showing heat signatures

Thermal Signature Analysis

Heat signature differentiation -- distinguishing wildlife from vegetation and terrain

System Configuration

Detection Stack

High-resolution thermal camera (military-grade sensor)
AI detection engine
Optimized AI model on dedicated processor
Real-time inference per frame

Response Systems

Acoustic deterrence (bee sounds, variable audio patterns)
SMS alerts to forest department staff
Automated 24/7 operation cycle
Camera restart every 2 hours (thermal drift mitigation)

Field Evidence

Thermal Detections & Physical Corroboration

During the deployment period, the system registered thermal detections during nighttime hours. Ground teams dispatched to detection sites found corroborating physical evidence — elephant dung, fresh footprints, and vegetation disturbance — confirming that the AI system was detecting actual elephant presence.

Elephant dung found at detection site in Jashpur, confirming AI thermal detection

Physical Evidence

Elephant dung found at AI-flagged detection site -- physical corroboration of thermal alert accuracy

Forest officer surveying detection site in Jashpur Division

Ground Verification

Forest officer surveying the detection area -- verifying physical evidence at AI-identified location

Critical Incident: Cable Tampering -- Human Interference Confirmed

During the deployment, the unit experienced an unexpected cable disconnection. Initial assessment considered wildlife damage, but detailed investigation revealed this was deliberate human interference, not elephant damage.

Key evidence: wires were selectively pulled and disconnected. There was no structural deformation to the enclosure or mounting hardware — damage an elephant would have caused. The disconnection pattern was consistent with deliberate human action.

This incident became a pivotal design lesson. It directly led to a fundamental hardware architecture change: all subsequent GAJ-DASTAK units were redesigned with fully internal cable routing. No exposed external wiring. Protected cable junctions with tamper-evident features.

Results

Deployment Outcomes

24/7

Continuous autonomous operation, solar-powered, zero cloud dependency

Night Detection

Thermal AI detected elephant presence in complete darkness — impossible for human patrols

Faster Response

SMS alerts enabled rapid deployment of ground teams to confirmed detection zones

Government Validation & CAMPA Pathway

Government Validation Validation letter issued

CAMPA Work Orders Approved — total value ₹7,78,800

Scheme CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund)

Impact on Programme Led directly to Raigarh Division demonstration

Lessons Learned

What Jashpur Taught Us

Internal cable routing is mandatory

The cable tampering incident proved that exposed external wiring is a confirmed vulnerability. All subsequent units were redesigned with fully internal, protected cable paths. This is now a permanent design rule.

Placement is critical

Detection quality changes significantly based on device position relative to the elephant movement path. Slight repositioning dramatically affects detection range and reliability. Site surveys before installation are essential.

Single units have blind zones

A single unit cannot cover all approach paths. Elephants are adaptive — they can re-enter from alternate directions. Multi-unit coverage or mobile patrol units are needed for comprehensive perimeter protection.

Thermal drift needs active management

The advanced thermal sensor experiences gradual drift over time, causing brightness and contrast shifts. Automated sensor calibration mitigates this but does not eliminate it. Model augmentation for thermal drift robustness is critical.

Impact

What Jashpur Made Possible

Jashpur was the deployment that transformed GAJ-DASTAK from a prototype into a government-validated system. The extended field trial proved that AI thermal detection could operate autonomously in real Indian forest conditions — surviving monsoon weather, thermal extremes, and even deliberate human interference.

The government validation letter and CAMPA work order approval (₹7,78,800) established the procurement pathway that other forest divisions could follow. It proved that this technology could be funded through existing government schemes — no special budget required.

Most importantly, Jashpur gave the forest department confidence. It led directly to the Raigarh Bangursia demonstration — a larger-scale validation that further cemented GAJ-DASTAK as a viable tool in India's fight against Human-Elephant Conflict.

Night Operations

Deployment in Darkness

Elephants move primarily at night. GAJ-DASTAK was purpose-built to operate in complete darkness -- thermal imaging sees what human eyes cannot.

Night Operations

Field team during extended night monitoring session -- verifying system autonomy and detection accuracy

Deployment Team

GAJ-DASTAK team with forest department staff during night deployment and monitoring

Night deployment scene showing GAJ-DASTAK operational in forest environment

Autonomous Night Watch

System operational in complete darkness -- thermal camera, AI inference, acoustic deterrence, and SMS alerting all running autonomously

Jashpur Division Field Deployment
November 2025

Under Senior IFS Guidance

Deployment Overview

Recurring Elephant Incursions Along the Jharkhand Corridor

From Planning to Field Validation