Despite critical advancements in the tech solutions available to conservationists around the world, many existing tools are cost-prohibitive in the landscapes that need them most. Additionally, those who create low-cost and open-source alternatives to pricey market tech are often operating on tight budgets themselves, meaning they have limited resources for the promotion of their solutions to a wider market. We need increased communication around these solutions to highlight their availability, share lessons learned in their creation, and avoid duplication of efforts.
This group is a place to share low-cost, open-source devices for conservation; describe how they are being used, including what needs they are addressing and how they fit in to the wider conservation tech market; identify the obstacles in advancing the capacity of these technologies; and to discuss the future of these solutions - particularly their sustainability and how best to collaborate moving forward.
Header image: Shawn F. McCracken
- @bumbleben
- | He/Him
Junior dev in a bioacoustics startup, interested in all forms of remote sensing and biologging
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- 4 Groups
- @csills
- | she/her
I am a software engineer looking to learn more about technology that makes a difference in the world today.
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- 1 Discussions
- 2 Groups
- @Fatuma
- | She/Her
I aim to transition my career towards conservation technology after gaining two years of experience in the tech industry.
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- 14 Groups
- @womble
- | he/him
AI Researcher, mostly NLP, with 30+ years experience. Recently consulted for a company ding drone image analysis and Google Cloud
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 6 Groups
Wildlife Drones
Wildlife Drones has developed the world’s most innovative radio animal-tracking system using drones so you can track your radio-tagged animals like never before.
- 11 Resources
- 8 Discussions
- 32 Groups
- @mariammatta
- | she/her
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @valeria
- | she/her
Studio Pixel
AI integration architect, AI product manager. I've built the front-end of this website 😁
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 13 Groups
- @shana
- | she/her
I am a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. I am a researcher with the eDNA Collaborative and Co-Director of the Pacific Marine Energy Center.
- 1 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @insituphile
- | he/him
I aim to help create and distribute low-cost, open-source, community-focused sensor solutions for coastal water resource issues
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- 0 Discussions
- 2 Groups
- @MattyD797
- | He/Him
I am studying biotic problems with abiotic intelligence. My research focus is in computational ecology within fishery acoustics, machine learning, remote sensing, and combining visual and audio species identification systems.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 12 Groups
- @Angele
- | She/Her
Working with IPLCs and applying data/geospatial tools for a conservation/carbon forestry project in the Philippines 🌿
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- 8 Groups
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- 5 Groups
In a recent publication we tested Underwater Passive Acoustic Monitoring (UPAM) as a feasible non-invasive technique to study the calling behavior of therathened aquatic Andean frogs under natural conditions in the...
6 April 2024
Article
You’re invited to the WILDLABS Variety Hour, a monthly event that connects you to conservation tech's most exciting projects, research, and ideas. We can't wait to bring you a whole new season of speakers and...
22 March 2024
Careers
The SMART Partnership is hiring a Program Director to oversee all aspects of the partnership's operations
21 February 2024
The IQOE Task Team on Low-Cost Hydrophones for Research, Education, and Citizen Science is looking for industry partners to develop a low-cost hydrophone.
15 December 2023
Dedi Yang and co athors publiched a paper on a Raspberry Pi-based open-source, low-power camera system
1 November 2023
Have you created a successful career in tech and are ready to do something good with your skills and experience? If yes, then join Open Earth's Earthshot mission to build open source digital systems and solutions to...
25 October 2023
Listen in on our interview with Mara Elephant Project’s Tracking Manager, Wilson Sairowua, as he explains how MEP is using software, geofencing and drone technologies to resolve human-elephant conflict across Maasai...
20 October 2023
Can you create an ecological data collection application on Android for Gibbon and Biodiversity Research. Check out this opportunity with us!
24 August 2023
Article
At Appsilon, we are always working to enable our users to get the most out of our solutions. With this in mind, we are happy to introduce two new add-ons to Mbaza AI.
4 July 2023
In this article from Jacinta Plucinski & Akiba of Freaklabs, they share advice on organising your thoughts around building short-term and long-term sustainability considerations into your conservation technology...
21 June 2023
PhD opportunity aims at developing novel imaging methods and deep learning algorithms to describe and classify earthworms at Aarhus University.
21 June 2023
JICA, Japan’s International Cooperation Agency is seeking a digital partner with a proven track record in conservation technology as we launch a pilot project to test technologies to mitigate human-elephant conflict in...
19 June 2023
November 2023
event
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Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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Hi @zhongqimiao ,Might you have faced such an issue while using mega detectorThe conflict is caused by:pytorchwildlife 1.0.2.13 depends on torch==1.10.1pytorchwildlife 1.0.2.12... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Open Source Solutions | 36 seconds ago | |
Hi, this is pretty interesting to me. I plan to fly a drone over wild areas and look for invasive species incursions. So feral hogs are especially bad, but in the Everglades there... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Open Source Solutions, Software and Mobile Apps | 1 day 23 hours ago | |
Gotcha, well I look forward to seeing future iterations and following along with your progress!! |
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Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions | 4 days 3 hours ago | |
'Most importantly, we have to make it play a MIDI version of the DoctorWho theme song when you arm the device. That has to be the #1 feature if you ask me!' Seconded! |
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Acoustics, Biologging, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Sensors | 1 week ago | |
This is so cool @Mauricio_Akmentins - congrats and look forward to seeing your project evolve! |
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Acoustics, Biologging, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors, Software and Mobile Apps | 2 weeks 1 day ago | |
Hi Danilo. you seem very passionate about this initiative which is a good start.It is an interesting coincidence that I am starting another project for the coral reefs in the... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Biologging, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Community Base, Connectivity, Drones, Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Sensors, Software and Mobile Apps, Wildlife Crime | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
I would recommend going with Ubiquity 2.4Ghz devices which have performed relatively well in dense foliage of the California Redwood forests. It took a lot of tweaking to... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Connectivity, Open Source Solutions | 3 months ago | |
Fire detection is a sort of broad idea. Usually people detect the products of fire, and most often this is smoke.Many home fire detectors in the US use a radioactive source... |
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Community Base, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors, Wildlife Crime | 3 months ago | |
Super cool! thank you for sharing! |
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Biologging, Open Source Solutions | 3 months ago | |
I dont have anything written up but I can tell what parts we used and how we tested.Its pretty straightforward, we used this M10 Enclosure Vent from Blue Robotics: Along with... |
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Build Your Own Data Logger Community, Acoustics, Camera Traps, Climate Change, East Africa Community, Marine Conservation, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools | 3 months ago | |
Hi folks! Happy 2024 and thanks in advance for your patience in case I over-used tags. If you’re using any form of natural language... |
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AI for Conservation, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Early Career, East Africa Community, Emerging Tech, Ending Wildlife Trafficking Online, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Software and Mobile Apps, Wildlife Crime, Women in Conservation Tech Programme (WiCT) | 3 months 2 weeks ago | |
camtrapR has a function that does what you want. i have not used it myself but it seems straightforward to use and it can run across directories of images:https://jniedballa.... |
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Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools, Open Source Solutions, Software and Mobile Apps | 4 months 2 weeks ago |
Senior Product & Production Manager (Maternity Cover)
9 December 2022 3:07pm
New: Satellites for Biodiversity Award
5 December 2022 2:08pm
MozFest 2023 call for proposals on Tech & Biodiversity
22 November 2022 11:10am
Picking up signal of GPS tag
10 November 2022 11:29am
16 November 2022 10:55am
Hi Kim! Thanks for sharing, this is really interesting! I'll check out the website & see what I can find out about the mechanics of the device. Thanks again!
21 November 2022 5:25pm
Hey Sol,
The only way for you to collect information from a GPS tag attached to a FAD is if that tag transmits that data to the drone. Unfortunately most receiver packages are a bit too large for hobbyist-style drones (from what I've seen).
Depending on the range/distance from shore, you might be able to have a shore-based receiver system?
Software to aid acoustic sound files visualization/labelling + Software to syncronize video/acoustic sonograms
23 September 2022 1:01pm
8 October 2022 12:44am
I would also recommend Arbimon. It is well set up to handle Audiomoth recordings. Being cloud based, you will need a good internet connection for sound file upload. I'm just starting to investigate its use for Song Scope recordings. Setting up the call recognisers will be a slow process, but they can be made available to all users once done.
8 October 2022 7:33am
You could try using a video editor like DaVinci for looking at your video and audio together. I don't think DaVinci displays sonograms by default (just waveform) but I think it will open your selected audio in an external editor which would allow you to see the sonograms and make measurements with something like Audacity or Kaleidoscope.
20 October 2022 11:01am
The open-source program Audacity can show the spectrograms and histograms and has quite a lot of other useful features, e.g. playing ultrasound calls slower, so it can be heard by people.
Open-source Argos satellite tag for bears - available now
7 October 2022 4:49pm
9 October 2022 5:14am
Oh, that looks so good, and some heavy hitting design firms too!
Conservation Tech Directory - new update!
29 August 2022 2:38pm
23 September 2022 5:26pm
Congrats on the milestone Carly and Gracie!
26 September 2022 10:07pm
Thanks so much!!
Ecological Forecasting Initiative's data analysis webinar series
26 September 2022 6:50pm
Crypto funding for ecosystem and conservation science
8 September 2022 1:48pm
How To Use An Arduino – Beginners Guide
1 September 2022 10:02pm
For anyone interested in WILDLABS' Build Your Own Data Logger course, this beginner's guide to Arduino may be a valuable resource! This page also includes links to other relevant resources on Arduino language and getting started with Arduino software for the first time.
Conservation Technology Research Internship
26 August 2022 4:58pm
Lead Software Engineer for ARISE
19 August 2022 8:22am
CERES TAG
22 July 2022 3:36am
Earth Species Project - Senior AI Research Scientist
15 July 2022 6:40pm
How can open source tools make conservation tech more sustainable and accessible?
30 June 2022 6:56pm
1 July 2022 4:14pm
I've been working with a current visiting scholar who's from China and has been interested in getting started with some acoustic monitoring studies when he goes back to China later this year. I've been working with him to try to figure out some options (with some help from folks met through Wildlabs!) but the name-brand stuff from Wildlife Acoustics is more than double what it would be in the states once customs and imports and exchange rates are taken into account. Open-source solutions that can be manufactured on the ground in countries where we're trying to do work can avoid many of those costs, support local economies, and even be good for the environment to the extent that you're avoiding the (minimal but non-zero) emissions of shipping stuff all over the place.
Self-powered Buoy collecting vital sensor data -- Looking for conservation projects to collaborate with
18 May 2022 6:28am
3 June 2022 7:19am
Hello Aadithya,
Excited to hear about your marine acoustics outreach. I am interested to explore the possibilities of collaborative work on this line.
One of my doctoral scholars is about to submit his thesis on terrestrial acoustic studies. Please respond to [email protected] (as I may likely miss responses if any, send to this group).
Regards
Jaishanker
14 June 2022 11:46am
Hi Jaishanker, I just reached out to over email, apologies for the delay. We are interested in working with underwater hydrophones and this might be of use in your specific case study. Bristlemouth's timeline is still being created, but we're hoping to have devkits ready closer to the end of this year. I'm happy to chat more to learn about the specific research you are doing and how we can best help!
21 June 2022 10:49pm
If you're looking to identify collaborators - probably lots of organizations listed in the Conservation Tech Directory would be interested (quick prelim search yields orgs like Echospace, European Tracking Network, FACT network, IMOS, IOOS, other tracking networks like that, USA's NEON, eOceans, Oceans+)! Also org's like Blue Ventures, Save our Seas (run acoustic tracking array), MBON (run Biotrack) come to mind.
On the lookout for CAD/Microcontroller work!
17 June 2022 5:04pm
Join Seeed’s “IoT Into the Wild Contest for Sustainable Planet 2022” on Hackster to Get 100 Free Hardware and to Win $14,000+ in Prizes!!
14 June 2022 11:04am
UKAN+ Monitoring UK Biodiversity Symposium 15-16th June
31 May 2022 2:58pm
Apply to the 2022 GOSH Gathering in Panamá!
29 March 2022 9:46pm
26 April 2022 11:01am
There are only a few days left to apply to the 2022 Gathering for Open Science Hardware! Join a community of scientists, hardware developers, artists, and activists working together on open hardware for science!
Gathering for Open Science Hardware - Panama Oct 2022
6 April 2022 10:58pm
GOSH Regional Events Funding - Second Round Now Open!
14 March 2022 11:00am
Call for solutions on technology for conservation impact
4 March 2022 2:16pm
Deep Learning for Marine Ecology and Conservation
20 December 2021 12:00am
Identification of Wildlife in Camera Trap Images
20 December 2021 12:00am
Tech Tutors: How do I turn a conservation tech project into a product?
27 October 2021 11:23am
How do I get started with OpenCollar Edge Trackers?
27 October 2021 12:00am
How do I turn a conservation tech project into a product?
20 October 2021 12:00am
What would an open source conservation technology toolkit look like?
23 March 2019 1:50am
28 April 2021 1:58am
Hi Akiba, [not sure if I'm on the right thread]
The Open-Source Tech Toolkit would need a repository for designs & specifcations. Regarding the latter, I'm a Technical Editor for a specification company. The format we use for the architecture & construction industry is suitable for any discipline [e.g. teaching students how to write a spec using our format/proforma they're given a task to write "how to tie their shoe laces"].
A specification defines qualities & standards (e.g. ISO, IEC). Drawings illustrate locations & quantity. Drawings are normally referenced back to the specification clauses.
I'd like to write an example of a specification for the Wildlogger, which will cover the many options for sensors, including references to approved/tested sensors and [if necessary] how they should be calibrated.
Looking over the horizon, what is the best repository for such Toolkit drawings and specifications?
If demand was large enough, and funding available, the company I work for could host the specifications and I'd maintain them full-time: There would be many advantages using our database over MS Word-based system.
Best Regards,
Nigel
28 April 2021 2:50am
Hi Nigel.
That's a very kind offer. I think currently github is the main repository I use for those kinds of documents. I like your idea and it'd be great to expand WildLogger out to a full featured data logger. The original intent of the design was as an educational tool to learn the programming concepts, but I didn't expect that people would deploy them in actual scientific applications. It's really cool.
As for specs and hosting, I'd actually prefer to keep them on github which is a popular platform and gets around the funding side of things. I've dealt with formal software specs and requirements in a previous corporate life but I think the scope of many of the projects we are undertaking is small enough that formal specs might not be needed. For the scale you're thinking, you might want to discuss with the Society for Conservation Biology or the larger organizations that are trying to plan out a roadmap for conservation biology.
Akiba
28 April 2021 10:52am
Hi Akiba,
Just found out from the marketing dept at my work the cost to host multiple specs - very expensive [$NZ 7K-10K].
Host it on GitHub for starters then. I'm a newbie to GitHub, so it's an opportunity to become familiar with it.
I'll begin by drafting a specification for the the Wildlogger with various peripherals/sensors other groups are testing for different scientific applications. It would be a standalone document in MS Word with hyperlinks to other docs, electronics suppliers, methodologies e.g. for calibrating sensors etc.
The doc will evolve over time, no doubt inform future development for the Wildlogger, possibly resulting in new variants. Knowledge won't be lost in the ether.
Nigel
Volunteer 3D Design Work (Simple) for Your Open Source Project!
19 April 2021 10:44pm
21 April 2021 7:23pm
Amazingly nice offer! Thanks!
I know how projects can sometimes be stressful. I had a bit of that feeling lately when having to figure out how to code a trap alarm my boss let me spend a lot of money for materials for.
16 November 2022 10:54am
Thanks Carly! I've been in awe of what Wildlife Drones is doing, but as you say my work at the moment is focussed on existing GPS units rather than telemetry for tracking. I'll still reach out & ask though. Thanks for your help! :)