TECH CORNER
TRA C K IN G T HE SMA R T WAY F I N EL L A G R AY, M ADAG A S CAR P R O TE CTE D ARE A DATA S P EC I ALI ST
Local communities lie at the heart of our work to protect endangered wildlife and habitats. Villagers from these communities have valuable knowledge about their local environment and are trained to patrol protected areas. However, many are not able to read and write, which can limit the quantity and quality of data they can report. To overcome this, our team on the ground in Madagascar use the app CyberTracker to record wildlife sightings and threats encountered on their patrols. The app is designed for use by non-literate trackers by using pictures and symbols to represent the different species and threats. The app links to the SMART patrol and threat management software where this data can be stored and analysed by our data team in Madagascar. From this data, the team can better manage protected areas by identifying hotspots for illegal activity.
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A P I C T U RE- BASED SM AR T P H O NE AP P ALLO W S LO C AL PAT R O LLERS W O RK I NG W I T H T H E D U RRELL T EAM I N M AD AG ASC AR T O REC O RD D ATA F R O M T H E F I ELD W H I LE O V ER C O M I NG LO W LI T ERAC Y LEV ELS AM O NG I ND I G ENO U S P EO P LE.
The CyberTracker app was initially developed for Kalahari bushmen to record wildlife data using icons. Our team can customise CyberTracker to include data such as the start and end time of patrols and the track these patrols take. Patrollers can add geolocated photos and details of threats or wildlife sightings, solely using icons.
